Migrants issue: Guidelines issued to avert panic, confusions

CHENNAI: Head of the TN police force, DGP C Sylendra Babu has issued guidelines to avert the panic and confusion arising out of fake videos on alleged attacks of migrant labourers in Tamil Nadu.

Across the State, the police were advised to do identification of companies and factories, employing migrant labourers and taking an account of their numbers, sex, age composition, native State etc.

Police personnel are asked to conduct meetings with them to assure them that they are safe and secure in Tamil Nadu.

Station inspectors are asked to nominate one liaison person from among the migrant labourers per every company or factory as one-point contact between the SHO and migrant labourers.

The helpline number of the city or the district should be shared with them. This person should be added in the WhatsApp group of the inspector, which is created for migrant labourers.

Day and night patrolling in the places of work and of stay to prevent any petty offences against migrant labourers.

Patta books to be put up at these companies and stay places of migrant labourers and the beat to be marched regularly to check the same.

Inspectors of police are asked to identify the places of migrant labourers in unorganised sectors in their limits and share his / her number with them.

Police teams are also told to patrol the areas near the wine shops to prevent any drunken brawl involving migrant labourers, who are intoxicated.

Inspectors are asked to advise the migrant labourers not to post or to share any alarming material in social media without verifying the facts and to sensitise the workers against spreading rumours.

Complaints received at police stations from migrant labourers, if any, should be acted upon immediately. The fact of the matter should also be brought to the notice of SP/DC.

Hospital intimation, if any, received from migrant labourers and even non MLC cases of such workers should be brought to the notice of SP/DC immediately.

Proper liaison should be ensured with the local Press and TV media. Press will also be requested not to publicise any offensive news without verifying the facts.

The unit officers should give immediate counter to the fake videos or fake news in Hindi in social media accounts at the earliest point of time.

Nodal officers appointed

Five IPS officers were appointed as nodal officers to coordinate with the other states and agencies on issues pertaining to the rumours on the safety and security of migrant workers.

The officers in the nodal team are Avinash Kumar, IGP, Administration (94421-62456)

Abhishek Dixit, DIG, Headquarters (89396-77577), Harsh Singh, DCP, Traffic (Chennai North) (94981-49999), Adarsh Pachera, SP (IPREC) (88262-49399) D.Shanmuga Priya, SP (NRI Cell) (94431-22666).

A press release from the state police headquarters said that the nodal officers shall liaise with the agencies from other States with regard to the issues related to false propaganda and rumours on the safety and security of migrant workers in Tamilnadu and furnish the information sought by them. The following mobile numbers are allotted to the nodal team for communication. 94981-11191 and 94981-81455.