Bringing back 131 Bengal labourers from Jammu and Kashmir: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, Nov 01: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has initiated the process to bring back 131 workers who had gone to Kashmir for work.

"Total 131 workers who had gone to Kashmir are being brought back to West Bengal with the help of state government. They are from Murshidabad, Dinajpur and Malda," Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.

Describing the killings of five labourers from West Bengal in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir as pre-planned murder, Banerjee on Thursday questioned the security arrangements in place in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370.

She also demanded a "strong investigation" into the incident to find out the truth. Mentioning that it is the Centre that is responsible for the law and order situation in the Valley, she said,

"In Kashmir, there are no political activities and there is no political party there currently. The entire administration belongs to the central government, the Army and the other central forces... they are taking care of it.

"And on that day a delegation of European Union parliamentarians was visiting the state. Inspite of all this, how could they abduct these poor innocent fellows ... I m really shocked," she added.

Preliminary investigations have shown that the Hizbul Mujahideen was behind the killing of the five migrant labourers from West Bengal.

The police said the killing of a truck driver from Jammu was the handiwork of this outfit. The police had identified a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Ajjaz Malik to be behind this incident.

On Tuesday five migrant labourers from West Bengal were shot dead by terrorists in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.

The attack happened on a day a delegation of parliamentarians from the European Union is visiting Kashmir to talk to locals and ask them about their experience after the abrogation of J&K's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution in August.

Since the Centre's decision on Article 370, terrorists have been targeting truckers and labourers, mainly who have come to the Valley from outside Kashmir.