Migrant workers from Bihar, many of whom are Muslims themselves, were forced to flee from Kashmir after being threatened by locals following the abolition of Article 370, Rahul Pandita reported in the Open Magazine. The migrants are desperate to leave Kashmir and they are fleeing in thousands, the report said.
“They were hurling abuses at me and asked me to leave; they said they will kill me otherwise,” said 56-year-old Surinder Mahato. 25-year old Aslam claimed that he was beaten by a few locals in Srinagar. He said, “They took away my bag and said: Bhaago Bihari idhar se (Run away from here, Bihari).”
“One Kashmiri came to me the previous night and said if I see you tomorrow, I will beat you up and burn you with kerosene oil,” said another migrant worker. Most of the workers who travel to Kashmir to earn their wages do so because of the cool summer-time weather. They are also able to save more, claimed the report.
The plight of migrant workers in Kashmir reveals the dark underbelly of Kashmiri separatism which is a toxic blend of racial and religious supremacy. It is also a slap on the face of liberals who explicitly support Kashmiri nationalism despite the fact that it is akin to the White Supremacist ideology of the Ku Klux Klan.
