In a case of mistaken identity, 44 workers from Jammu were detained by vigilant local youths at Assam’s New Tinsukia Junction Railway Station on Monday morning on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi migrants, before being cleared and released following verification by authorities.
The incident began when the group disembarked at the railway station, immediately drawing the attention of alert locals who notified the Assam Police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) about individuals they deemed suspicious. What appeared to be a potential illegal migration scenario ultimately proved to be legitimate workers en route to their employment destination.
Investigation by authorities revealed that all 44 individuals were residents of Jammu being transported by contractor Khadim Hussain, himself from Jammu, to work on a power transmission infrastructure project in Roing, Arunachal Pradesh. The workers had previously completed a similar project in Uttarakhand before accepting this new assignment.
Contractor Hussain clarified the situation to reporters, stating, “The workers were earlier working in a similar project at Uttarakhand. When I was contacted by the Arunachal Pradesh project officials, we decided to proceed to the new site at Roing.”
Fareed Ahmed, one of the detained workers explained their travel purpose. “Most of us are from Doda and Kishtwar districts of Jammu. We have come by train and landed here today. We were supposed to proceed to Roing in Arunachal Pradesh for our work assignment,” he said.
A local youth involved in the detention defended their actions, explaining their concerns. “We nabbed the suspected people in Tinsukia Railway station when they were roaming. When we asked them, they said that they were from Jammu and come here for work. A contractor named Khadim Hussain brought them for work in Arunachal Pradesh.”
Referencing recent security incidents, he added, “Many incidents are happening in India. The recent Delhi bomb blast is one example where a doctor from Kashmir was involved in the blast. So we had to be careful and informed the police.”
Tinsukia Additional Superintendent of Police Himanshu Das confirmed the resolution of the situation. “All their documents were verified and found to be in order. The workers were allowed to proceed to Arunachal Pradesh after complete verification,” Das stated, noting that Aadhaar cards and other identity documents proved their legitimacy.
