Days after five workers from Bengal were gunned down by terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir, the Mamata Banerjee Government on Monday ensured the return of 138 panic-stricken labourers from the Valley amid tight security.
Out of 138 labourers who returned to Kolkata by Jammu Tawi Express, five are from Assam, senior State Minister Firhad Hakim who received them and escorted them out of the Howrah Station said, blaming the Centre for the current situation.
“They (Centre) have messed up the situation and common poor citizens of the country have to bear the brunt,” he said adding “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is feeling relieved after ensuring the return of the labouers from Bengal who were trapped in Kashmir.”
The Monday’s development came a week after terrorists at Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir shot dead five workers from Bengal.
“We found them in utter panic,” Hakim said adding “now at least their family members will be relieved that their sons have returned home.”
Echoing him a worker from Birbhum said, “now we are feeling relieved to have come back home. We were spending sleepless nights in that State,” adding he would never go to Kashmir again. Another worker from North Dinajpur said the Army “came in the midnight and took us away to their camp from where we were taken back to Jammu. We are happy that Mamata didi has done so much for us.”
Apart from reserving a whole bogie and escorting the returnees back to Kolkata the State Government also arranged for them breakfast and five buses to ferry them back to their home towns.
When asked about their earnings in Kashmir one of them said “we go there to work as we manage Rs12,000 to Rs15,000 every month. Out of that almost seventy five percent we are able to send back home.”
Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of Trinamool Congress Youth Congress on Monday took out a massive candle light procession protesting the killing of Bengali citizens in Kashmir and demanding Government action to control the situation in the Valley.
Shantanu Sen, a TMC MP and doctor, who led the procession said “We strongly protest against the killing of general people in Kashmir and the candle light march is an opinion building measure.” Another leader said “the Centre should learn from Bengal Government how to control disturbance. Mamata Banerjee successfully controlled the situation in Jangalmahal and Darjeeling Hills. The Centre should take a cue from that.”