Migrant Worker’s Hands Chopped Off: NCST Demands Response from Odisha Authorities

Bhubaneswar: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has issued a notice to the Odisha Director General of Police (DGP), Chief Secretary, and Railway Protection Force (RPF) Director General regarding a horrific incident where a migrant worker had both his hands chopped off in Maharashtra. The NCST, after receiving a petition from human rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, has demanded a response from the authorities within 15 days. Failure to comply may result in the commission exercising its powers to issue summons for their appearance.

The incident involved Angad Mallick, a 29-year-old from Baliguda town, who was attacked at Kalyan railway station while on his way to Gujarat in search of work. Mallick’s family found him at a rescue centre in Gujarat, where he was undergoing treatment. A police team from Baliguda has been sent to Mumbai to investigate the matter.

The petitioner, Tripathy, highlighted similar inhumane incidents involving migrant workers from Odisha and other states. He criticized the failure of poverty alleviation schemes to benefit these workers and accused the Odisha government of negligence and inaction. Tripathy called the sequence of events barbaric and claimed that it continues due to the lack of timely government intervention.

In addition to proposing short-term and long-term measures to address distress migration, Tripathy requested legal action against the culprits, provision of artificial limbs, and compensation and rehabilitation for the victims. The NCST is expected to review the responses received and take appropriate action in due course.