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New Delhi: A group of 44 skilled workers from Jammu and Kashmir were detained by residents at the New Tinsukia railway station in Assam on the mere "suspicious" basis. The men, en route to Arunachal Pradesh for a power grid project, were branded "suspicious" by locals.
The labourers found themselves caught in a terrifying web of post-Delhi blast paranoia and local suspicion on Monday, triggering an anxious standoff that was only resolved after police verification of their identities.
The incident unfolded as the workers, hailing from the Doda and Kishtwar districts of J&K, disembarked from a train originating in Chandigarh. They were preparing for the next leg of their journey when a group of locals intercepted them.
Visuals shared by the news channels from the scene showed the men were seated on the road outside the station, while voices from the crowd demanded official intervention, questioning their nationality. "Verify whether they are from Pakistan," one local was heard urging, while others openly voiced fears about "doubtful people" circulating in the aftermath of the recent November 10 blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort.
Tinsukia Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mayank Kumar confirmed the incident, stating that the men were indeed skilled labourers, professionally engaged by a contractor for a critical power grid initiative in Arunachal Pradesh. Tinsukia served merely as their transit point. "Some locals had doubts, so police checked their identity and documents. Everything was in order, and the group was allowed to continue their journey," SSP Kumar clarified.
He dispelled the unfounded fears. He reiterated, "They are skilled labourers who were being taken by a contractor to work on a power grid project in Arunachal Pradesh."
The heightened tension in Assam is palpable, following the Delhi blast last week. In response, the state government has launched a stringent crackdown, leading to the arrest of 21 people accused of expressing "support for terrorism" through social media posts and comments.
