Hate Crime Against Migrant Workers

Three masked gunmen opened fire on a group of migrant mill workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Moga district, injuring Subodh Kumar and his cousin Ashok. The shooting took place on Moga-Zira road in Khosa Jalal village, when Subodh and Ashok alongwith 12–15 mill workers, were walking towards their room to have lunch. The incident triggered alarm over a possible escalation in anti-migrant violence. With camera rolling, one of the masked assailants fired three–four rounds at the group, which scattered as the trio sped away. Ashok was shot in the leg, and Subodh was grazed by a bullet. Ladi Bhalwan (full name not known), Nirvair Singh, and another unnamed person from the Davinder Bambiha gang claimed responsibility for the attack through a video that went viral on social media. In the video, the shooters are seen brandishing weapons and firing while accusing the migrant workers of not respecting Sikh tenets, not wearing turbans, and obeying Sikh religious practices. They alleged that migrant laborers were disrupting social harmony and law and order in the state. The incident triggered alarm over a possible escalation in anti-migrant violence. Industry bodies warned that such attacks could have serious consequences for Panjab's economy. Such targeting and shooting of migrant workers—considered the backbone of the agriculture sector— is reminiscent of the multiple killings of migrant brick kiln workers in the 1980s. Subodh Kumar said, ‘In the two months that I have been working here, I have hardly spoken to anyone other than my employer and my fellow workers. I just work the whole day and then head to my room. Par ab bahar jaane mein bhi darr lagega (Now I will be scared even stepping out)’. Police claims to have nabbed two assailants but they turned out to be Jobanpreet and his accomplice Akashdeep, unrelated to this shooting incident. In a separate incident, a first-year law student of a private college in Tarn Taran district shot and killed a female classmate in a crime of passion during class. He later shot himself and succumbed to injuries in a hospital (earlier coverage).