Rights activists and unions have dubbed “racist” and “class-specific” a Tamil Nadu police exercise of enumerating workers, college students and tenants from other states based on their ethnicity and language.
The drive comes after five alleged bank robbers were shot dead in Chennai last month. Documents found with them suggested they were from Bihar and Bengal.
Some of the activists are planning to challenge the count in court saying it goes against fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
One of the activists, A. Marx, alleged the enumeration is “racist” and targeted at a particular class — poorly paid migrant workers who come to eke out a living thousands of miles from home. “Already, the workers are grossly underpaid and overworked and forced to live in harsh conditions by their contractors. Now, the police are infusing fear into their minds by seeking personal details from them,” Marx said.
He saw in the exercise the hallmark of divisive politics practised by parties such as Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, whose activists have been accused of harassing north Indian migrants in Mumbai. “The effects will not be without ripple effect on the local economy and will diminish the state’s value as an investment destination.”
A. Soundararajan, the general secretary of Citu, said the real issues were being overlooked. “There are 10 lakh migrant workers in Chennai, Hosur, Tiruppur and other towns. They are virtually the new class of bonded labour as they are denied minimum wages, injury compensation, medical attention and decent living conditions. Asking them to enrol like cattle in police stations is against all norms.”
Lawyer Geeta Rameshan said: “Only those belonging to the working class and lower middle-class residing as tenants are under pressure.”
A police officer denied the allegations of racial or ethnic profiling and pointed out that they were collecting information as many crimes had been committed by groups from outside the state. “We have sought details of all tenants, even those from Tamil Nadu.”