Dismissing outrightly the rumours of Bihar migrant labourers being thrashed in Tamil Nadu, the Secretary of Bihar Association in Tamil Nadu stated that the videos circulating on social media were fake and there was no truth in the allegations of attacks.

A 4-member team reached Chennai on Saturday and participated in a meeting with Chennai District Collector, Commissioner of Tamil Nadu Labour Department and other government officials in connection with the matter. The Bihar government had sent the team to the Southern state after reports of alleged attacks on the migrant labourers surfaced.

“Four of us came from the Bihar government to meet the senior officials of the Tamil Nadu government. People from Bihar were working in Tamil Nadu. We have come to assure them that the Bihar government is for their welfare. We are getting all the support and cooperation from the Tamil Nadu government,” Balamurugan, IAS, Secretary of Rural Development Department, Bihar said.

Speaking to ANI, Mukesh, Secretary, Bihar Association, Tamil Nadu, said that they have not found any “reality” in the calls that they received of the alleged attacks in Tamil Nadu.
“A 4-member team had come from Bihar to gather information regarding the ongoing rumour that the people from Bihar and Hindi-speaking people are being beaten by the Tamils. The video has gone viral. The parents are scared. We gave the team information. I get 150-200 calls per day. We visit the spot after getting the call and assess the situation and try to ascertain the facts. We cannot inform the police immediately after receiving the call unless we check the reality behind the calls. We have visited around 10 to 15 places so far, there was no reality in the claims. It is completely fake news,” he said.

Stating that such incidents of attacks did not take place in the state, the official said that Tamil Nadu is the “safest place” for migrant workers.

He said that they have urged the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to not let any such news be broadcast “until the authenticity” is ascertained.

“Such an issue has never occurred anywhere in Tamil Nadu. This is the safest place for migrant workers and for the people of Bihar. We only told the Bihar government that the fake news coming from Bihar should be stopped. We have not seen such news in any channel in Tamil Nadu. We have asked the Bihar government not to let such news be broadcast until the authenticity of the news is ascertained,” he said.

“I don’t think any other government would help the way this Tamil Nadu government is helping,” Mukesh added.