Mamata visits Murshidabad, meets the families of five labourers killed in Kashmir

Kolkata, Nov 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday arrived in Murshidabad district, West Bengal and visited Bahalnagar village, it is the village from where the five migrated labourers who were gunned down by terrorists at Kulgam in Kashmir on October 29 this year belong to.

The five deceased labourers were identified by the Kashmiri police as Noimuddin Sheikh, Mursalim Sheikh, Rofik Sheikh, Kamruddin Sheikh and Rofikul Sheikh. They used to work in an apple orchard in Kulgam district of South Kashmir for allegedly being 'non-Kashmiri'.

The chief minister had earlier declared about compensation of rupees five lakhs to the bereaved families of the five deceased labourers.

Today after attending a public gathering the TMC supremo visited the Bahalnagar village to meet the slain labourers' families.

According to PTI report, Mamata also said, "I have instructed the district officials to build houses for these families under Bangla Awas Yojana."

"Other than us (West Bengal government), nobody has shown any desire to inquire about the plight of these (affected) families. This is very unfortunate, " she said today while addressing media.

Every year, as the apple season begins from the second week of in August, so labourer from Murshidabad district which shares the border with Bangladesh goes to the valley to work in the apple orchards work and they return after October as the season ends.

Earlier, Mamata government had also extended logistical support to lift all the remaining labourers of Bengal from the Valley. Labourers who were returned were reportedly given fifty thousand rupees in cash. This was an initiative to help these labourers to work in the state by starting their own ventures.

On October 29 the five migrants labourers from Kashmir were gunned down by the terrorists in Kashmir. The attack was carried a day before European Union delegations were visiting the Valley to interact with the locals regarding their experience after the abrogation of Article 370. After Article 370 was scrapped the terrorists were targeting the labourers coming from different states, truck drivers and etc.