A group of 44 workers from Jammu and Kashmir were detained by locals at the New Tinsukia railway station in Assam on Monday after being labelled “suspicious.” The men, who were travelling to Arunachal Pradesh for work, were allowed to leave after police checked their documents and confirmed their identities.
Tinsukia SSP Mayank Kumar said the workers were from Doda and Kishtwar districts of J&K. They had arrived on a train from Chandigarh and were getting ready to continue their journey when some locals stopped them. Video clips from the spot showed the workers sitting on the road outside the station while people around them demanded that officials verify “whether they are from Pakistan.” Some of the locals could also be heard saying they were worried about “doubtful people” because of the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10.
SSP Kumar said the men were skilled labourers hired by a contractor for a power grid project in Arunachal Pradesh. “Tinsukia is the transit point for their onward travel. Some locals had doubts, so police checked their identity and documents. Everything was in order, and the group was allowed to continue their journey,” he said.
Tension in Assam has been high since the blast in Delhi last week. The state government has launched a crackdown on people accused of posting or sharing content online that police say shows “support for terrorism.” So far, twenty-one people have been arrested in connection with these actions.
