Tamil Nadu police booked five people, including journalists and social media influencers, for spreading false information as rumours went viral of attacks on migrant workers from northern states. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, meanwhile, issued a statement that no harm would befall the migrant workers, whom he called “brothers who had helped in the development of Tamil Nadu”. Stalin said he had “spoken to Nitish Kumar … and assured him that all the workers in the state are our own workers. They help us in the development of our state and no harm will happen to them.”
A fact-finding team of officials from Bihar met Tamil Nadu police and labour department officials in Chennai and later told the media that they were convinced the reports of violence against migrant workers were fake. “We met the office-bearers of the Bihar association (sic) and they told us that they don't have any problem. We will also visit Coimbatore and Tirupur and meet the migrant workers and clear their doubts and fears," said Balamurugan D, secretary in the Bihar rural development department.
A team of officials from Jharkhand had already visited the state and seen for themselves that there were no attacks, TN officials said. Twitter users Prashant Umrao of BJP, and Shubham Shukla and Yuvraj Singh Rajput were booked for posting false information. Cases were also registered against the editor of Dainik Bhaskar and Mohammad Thanveer of Thanveer post.
Stalin said the rumours started after a journalist from Bihar portrayed a private conflict in some other state as having happened in Tamil Nadu. He appealed to TV channels, social media channels and platforms to adhere to media ethics and refrain from publishing news without checking the facts. Guest workers flocked to Tamil Nadu for employment are assured of a peaceful life, basic amenities and due benefits and protection under labour laws, Stalin said. Some who cannot tolerate this peaceful atmosphere are trying to denigrate the culture of the Tamil people with the ill-intention of bringing a bad name to the government, he said, warning of legal action against rumour-mongers. “It is highly condemnable that some people are doing such dirty politics on an issue that does not exist,” Stalin said.