West Bengal Facilitating Return Of 131 Labourers From Jammu And Kashmir After Militants Kill Five From State

The West Bengal government is facilitating the return of 131 people working in Jammu and Kashmir, to the state, a senior official said on Friday.

The state government has arranged for a special coach for the workers, who have expressed a desire to return following the killing of five workers from the state in Kashmir on 29 October.
“We are bringing back 131 people who had gone to J&K for work, but are now unwilling to continue there,” the official said.

While nine laborers have already reached Jammu, the rest are on their way from Srinagar for the same destination, from where they would board the train to Kolkata. The official said the West Bengal government took the decision after a senior minister received video footage in which Bengali laborers were seen urging the government to take steps in bringing them back. “The workers are fearful that they will be killed if they continued to live in the Kashmir Valley.