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Cops intervene as Khanna villagers make ‘boycott migrant workers’ call
Police had to intervene and resolve matter after the residents of a village in Khanna made announcements to ‘boycott migrant labourers’ using loudspeakers, officials aware of the development said on Saturday.
Police had to intervene and resolve matter after the residents of a village in Khanna made announcements to ‘boycott migrant labourers’ using loudspeakers, officials aware of the development said on Saturday.
A video of the incident from Khanna’s Kaudi village surfaced on social media and stirred up the controversy.
Similar incidents have been seen at multiple villages across the state.
Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had reprimanded the state government and the panchayat of a village in Kurali over a similar issue. In the purported video, some villagers can be seen announcing through a loudspeaker at the local inn that no migrant laborers should be given work, land or accommodation. The video quickly gained traction on social media, prompting the local police to intervene.
Sadar station-house officer (SHO) inspector Hardeep Singh arrived at the village to address the situation. The villagers, in the presence of the police, said the issue was resolved and that they would no longer pass any resolutions against the migrant labourers.
The purported video shows Davinder Singh and Paramjeet Singh Fauji, residents of Kaudi village, explaining that the boycott announcement was a reaction to a recent incident in which some migrant labourers were accused of misbehavior, including harassment of a local girl.
The incident had been brought to the panchayat, leading to widespread anger among the villagers. In a fit of rage, the announcement to boycott migrant labourers was made from a dharamshala. However, the call was later retracted.
The village had planned a meeting at a local gurdwara on August 25 to discuss the boycott. However, the meeting has since been called off.
Ram Kumar Sahni, a local, expressed his dismay at the situation, and said he has lived in the village for 32 years without witnessing such tensions. He emphasised that while individuals who commit wrongdoings should be held accountable, it is unfair to punish an entire community.
Mukesh Kumar, another resident, supported the villagers’ concerns but stressed that the blanket boycott was not the right approach. He said he became aware of the situation after the video surfaced and agreed that the matter should be handled with more sensitivity.
Khanna deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Amritpal Singh confirmed that the issue came to the police’s attention after the video surfaced.
He sent the SHO to the village and it was found that the conflict had initially arisen from a dispute between children, which escalated into a broader issue.
