Jisha Surya
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
19th June 2012 10:54 AM
Protest is brewing in the cyber space against the recent move of the State Government to collect the data of migrant labourers. Last month, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had said that migrant workers would have to register themselves in police stations in the respective areas in view of the rise in criminal cases.
A group of human rights activists is campaigning against this move, which it terms as ‘criminalisation of migrant labourers’. In a petition ‘Stop Criminalising Migrant Labourers, already signed by more than 250 people on the website www.change.org, the activists have said that the move is a threat to the fundamental rights of the people.
“The move by the Home Minister is only a means to tarnish migrant workers and push them further into the margins of society so that the state and the capitalist interests it represents can go on extracting their labour without providing any social security,” the petition says. “Profiling by police can lead to hate campaigns against migrant workers and would only contribute to further alienation and humiliation,” the petition adds.
The petition, signed by a number of Malayalis and non-Malayalis, would be submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The petitioners asked the Chief Minister to revoke the decision. The decision was taken against the backdrop of rising criminal cases in Ernakulam district, especially in Angamaly and Perumbavoor area which had witnessed large migrant influx in the last few years.
Reports of Intelligence Bureau had also warned against Maoist presence in the forest belts in the state. However, police have not found any direct evidence on the Maoist connection of migrant labourers. The petitioners said that many migrant labourers had to stop work as they were asked to obtain police verification cards from their villages, which was a costly affair for them. The petition is available at www.change.org/petitions/stop-criminalising-migrant-workers.
Human Rights activist and mediaperson B R P Bhaskar told Express that the background must be considered while discussing the issue. “I have not seen the campaign. It is true that there has been a rise in criminal activities in the areas which witnessed migrant influx. The authorities have responsibility to take steps against any undesirable activities in the society. At the same time, rights of individuals must be protected,” he said. “Criminal label of the entire group is unacceptable. There must not be any kind of obstruction to freedom of movement or right to work,” he added.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
19th June 2012 10:54 AM
Protest is brewing in the cyber space against the recent move of the State Government to collect the data of migrant labourers. Last month, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had said that migrant workers would have to register themselves in police stations in the respective areas in view of the rise in criminal cases.
A group of human rights activists is campaigning against this move, which it terms as ‘criminalisation of migrant labourers’. In a petition ‘Stop Criminalising Migrant Labourers, already signed by more than 250 people on the website www.change.org, the activists have said that the move is a threat to the fundamental rights of the people.
“The move by the Home Minister is only a means to tarnish migrant workers and push them further into the margins of society so that the state and the capitalist interests it represents can go on extracting their labour without providing any social security,” the petition says. “Profiling by police can lead to hate campaigns against migrant workers and would only contribute to further alienation and humiliation,” the petition adds.
The petition, signed by a number of Malayalis and non-Malayalis, would be submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The petitioners asked the Chief Minister to revoke the decision. The decision was taken against the backdrop of rising criminal cases in Ernakulam district, especially in Angamaly and Perumbavoor area which had witnessed large migrant influx in the last few years.
Reports of Intelligence Bureau had also warned against Maoist presence in the forest belts in the state. However, police have not found any direct evidence on the Maoist connection of migrant labourers. The petitioners said that many migrant labourers had to stop work as they were asked to obtain police verification cards from their villages, which was a costly affair for them. The petition is available at www.change.org/petitions/stop-criminalising-migrant-workers.
Human Rights activist and mediaperson B R P Bhaskar told Express that the background must be considered while discussing the issue. “I have not seen the campaign. It is true that there has been a rise in criminal activities in the areas which witnessed migrant influx. The authorities have responsibility to take steps against any undesirable activities in the society. At the same time, rights of individuals must be protected,” he said. “Criminal label of the entire group is unacceptable. There must not be any kind of obstruction to freedom of movement or right to work,” he added.
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