Migrant workers involved in 5,202 cases over last six years in Kerala

Kannur: As per the records, 5,202 cases involving migrant labourers have been registered in the state over the last six years. 161 of these are murder cases. The cases have been registered between 2016-August 2023. This is a worrying trend. 

The accused from other states were found to be involved in murders, rapes, drug trafficking, robberies and were even involved in lighting up train coaches. The information was collected by the Janamaithri Police and the labour department. Rules were tightened following the brutal rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Aluva by a migrant labourer earlier this year. Minister V Sivankutty was also among the group of public representatives, who had vowed to curb the influx of labourers into Kerala during that time. In reality, neither the government nor the police have accurate numbers of the total migrant labourers living in the state. Such labourers are usually asked to fill up special forms providing their details.

The primary details that are being collected from migrant labourers include their real names, bank account details, information regarding their employers, the name of the nearest airport, and other details pertaining to the contractors. Apart from this, the cops also conduct a detailed background check of these labourers, to know whether they are involved in any criminal cases in their native places. Their behaviours and movements in Kerala are also watched closely by the police.

While the influx of migrant labourers continues unabated, the state government looks clueless when quizzed on the total number of such labourers present in the state. Rules stipulate information collection at the ward levels for filtering out those with criminal backgrounds, and for implementing welfare schemes among the deserving workers. While the state planning board puts forth a staggering figure of 30 lakh migrant labourers living in Kerala at present, the state government records only la mere 5 lakh guest workers in their records. The only available data with the state government regarding the number of migrant workers in the state is actually compiled on the basis of the cards distributed to such workers as part of the Aawaz insurance scheme.