138 terrified migrant workers return home from 'Valley of death' after CM's intervention

Kolkata: After a spate of killings by terrorists in South Kashmir's Kulgam district, the state government successfully brought back 138 migrant workers by Jammu Tawi Express on Monday, bringing relief to their families who have been living in unprecedented trauma.

The migrant workers, after their arrival, thanked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for rescuing them from the "Valley of death and fear."

Altogether 138 workers, including five from Assam, returned to Kolkata on Monday and were received by Firhad Hakim, minister for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs at the Kolkata railway station. They were later ferried to their respective villages by buses provided by the state Transport department. Senior officials of the Disaster Management department and Transport department were also present at the station. Of the 133 workers from Bengal, 118 workers belong to South and North Dinajpur. The others are from the districts of Cooch Behar, North 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda and Jalpaiguri.

Rafikul Islam from Kushmandi in South Dinajpur district said: "The situation is terrible in Kashmir. People are scared and are suffering from fear psychosis." Rafikul used to work in a plywood factory for the past four years.

Arabul Sheikh, a resident of Birbhum who used to work in a private factory at Baramulla, added: "We are grateful to Mamata Banerjee. We will never go back to Kashmir. People cannot go out of their houses and are nervous. The situation is terrible in that state."

Rafikujjaman, a resident of South Dinajpur who used to work in a plywood factory for 20 years, said: "We really do not know what to do. We have no work and seek the Chief Minister's intervention to provide job for us. We have families to look after and no money in hand."

The decision to bring the migrant workers back to Bengal was taken by the Chief Minister following the brutal killings of five migrant workers from Murshidabad by terrorists last week. She has also demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter by the Centre. The state government has given Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. Hakim accompanied the coffins from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Murshidabad and Suvendu Adhikari, the state Transport minister handed over the cheques to the bereaved family members. Two senior police officers went to Kashmir to bring them back.

Firhad Hakim added: "Amit Shah has made the lives of the people in Kashmir miserable. There is no peace and people are afraid of terrorist attacks." He said the migrant workers will be taken to their villages by the transport provided by the state government. "Their family members are breathing a sigh of relief at their return. They will not go back to Kashmir for work in future," he maintained.