Fresh tension broke out in Tinsukia town after a group of migrant workers allegedly attempted to attack officer-in-charge of Tinsukia Sadar Police Station, Paragjyoti Burhagohain, in a heated confrontation between workers and traders at the congested Siding Bazar area on August 22.
Police say the violence started when there were reports that a truck was offloading goods at Siding Market. While some workers were doing the loading and unloading, another set of migrant workers were said to have tried to prevent them from doing so. Loading and offloading had already ceased by the time the police were on the scene.
We asked the workers to go back to work. But they restarted after a while and the migrant workers again obstructed and went violent. They even attempted to attack us when we tried to intervene. We had to scatter them with force,” OC Burhagohain told journalists.
He also pointed out that the conflicts between the local vendors and foreign workers have been taking place and are already being looked into at the Labour Commissioner’s office. “If one community hinders another from performing legal work, it is a crime against the law. Any such attempt before the police will attract stern action,” he said, warning that the market has been instructed to operate without further disruptions. The longstanding battle between the Tinsukia Chamber of Commerce and the workers’ union (Matiya) on issues pertaining to wages is said to be the root of the unrest. The recent incident has only increased tensions, prompting authorities to remain high alert in the town.
