NCST notice to Odisha govt., RPF chief over attack on migrant worker

The notice issued by the NCST, which has been marked to the Chief Secretary of the State, the Director General of Police, Odisha, and the DG of the RPF.

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has now issued notices to the Odisha government, and the Director General of the Railway Protection Force, in a case where a Scheduled Tribe migrant worker from Kandhamal district was assaulted at a railway station in Mumbai while on his way to start a job in Gujarat. 

In the complaint sent to the NCST by civil rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, it was said that the 22-year-old migrant worker, Angad Mallick’s arms were chopped off by the group of people who had attacked him some time in late April. The complainant said that the incident only came to light when Mr. Mallick returned to his village on June 30, with his arms severed. 

Mr. Mallick, a resident of Dahalapadi Sahi in Baliguda NAC, was offered a job in Gujarat by one Rabi Sahani of the Baghmunda village, for which an advance amount was also paid to him. Mr. Mallick said he needed the job to support his family and on April 27, both boarded a train to Mumbai, from where they were meant to proceed to Gujarat. 

As Mr. Sahani stopped to take a call at the station in Mumbai, some miscreants started attacking Mr. Mallick, he has said in the complaint. The complaint added that Mr. Mallick soon lost consciousness and when he woke up, he found himself in the hospital, with both his arms severed. 

The notice issued by the NCST, which has been marked to the Chief Secretary of the State, the Director General of Police, Odisha, and the DG of the RPF. The ST Panel has sought a detailed action-taken report from all authorities within 15 days. The notice was issued on July 4. 

In the complaint, Mr. Tripathy also highlighted several other incidents of violence and assault being faced by tribal migrant workers of Odisha, who he said were being “forced to migrate” out of the state for jobs and better opportunities. Mr. Tripathy has also requested the Commission to issue detailed long-term and short-term directions to protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes and migrant workers of Odisha.