The police registered a case on Friday against 13 migrant workers for blocking a road at Ramanthali, near Payyannur, on Thursday evening seeking to return to their native places. Based on a complaint by the Ramanthali panchayat secretary, a case was also filed against the contractor who employed the workers, three administrators of a WhatsApp group that circulated the video footage of the protest, and a few others who shared them on Facebook.
According to the police, around 30 migrant workers from Tamil Nadu were employed by contractor Mohammed Sheikh to undertake cable work inside the Indian Naval Academy. Following the lockdown, the contractor was reportedly unable to pay the workers or provide them food.
Ramanthali grama panchayat president M.V. Govindan said some of the protesters had approached him seeking arrangements for their return. He told them that a decision could only be taken by the government. A day after they met him, the protest video surfaced. The panchayat had twice provided food kits to the workers and they had not complained of any issues.
The case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), Kerala Police Act 120 (o), section 5 read with 4 (2) (a) of the Kerala Epidemic Disease Ordinance, 2020.
