Assaulted in Himachal Pradesh, 61 Jharkhand labourers return home after CM Soren intervenes

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government on Monday said it has facilitated the return of 61 labourers from Himachal Pradesh, where they were allegedly assaulted by locals recently, and more are on their way back.

A group of 150 labourers from Khunti and adjoining areas of Jharkhand had gone to Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh for work at a hydro electric power project but some of them complained that attacks by residents have left them injured, an official statement here said.

"The return of labourers from Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh is underway. So far, 61 workers have returned to the state. They hail from Khunti, Torpa, Bandgaon areas. After assaults on them, they had appealed to the state government to facilitate their return.

"As soon as Chief Minister Hemant Soren came to know about it, he directed officials to faciliate their return," the statement maintained.

Pending salaries of returnees have been deposited in their bank accounts following the intervention of the state labour department, it said.

Last week, the state government had said that an FIR has been registered in Himachal Pradesh in connection with the assault on Jharkhand workers.

A senior official had said that some issues had cropped up between the workers of Jharkhand and those of Himachal Pradesh, following which the migrants wanted to return home.

On the instruction of the CM, officials of the state migrant control room, under the labour department, interacted with the owner of the company that employed the workers at Lumber, the statement said.

Train tickets were subsequently arranged for the labourers.