Thiruvananthapuram: There is growing suspicion in Kerala that a fake news syndicate based in northern India is circulating falsehoods that large-scale murders are taking place in the state.
In the wake of such a social media campaign, numerous workers from northern parts of the country are leaving Kerala.
One news theme that is doing the rounds is that Bengali workers in Kerala’s restaurants are being attacked.
Local media reported that this news alone triggered an exodus of Bengali labour from the state, with an estimated 200-400 Bengali workers leaving their jobs in Kerala restaurants and returning home.
One of the scare campaigns that is unsettling migrant labourers is an audio clip on social media that speaks of a restaurant owner in Kozhikode fatally beating up his Bengali worker and hanging his body. Ironically, some of the photos circulated with such false news are those of bodies of people beaten to death in mob attacks in northern Indian states.
Kerala has a strong reliance on north Indian labour across various business sectors, and the hotel and restaurant industry has a significantly high presence of migrant workers. Local reports say that at least two restaurants have closed in Kozhikode over the past two days owing to the departure of migrant workers.
Hotel and restaurant owners have alerted the district collector and local police about the hate campaign against Kerala on social media and the exodus of workers.
Hotel and Restaurant Association president, T.V. Mohammad Sohail told media persons that family members of migrant workers who got the news from social media were requesting their kin working in Kerala to return home.
He said the facts were to the contrary. “The hotel industry in Kerala is in fact one place that provides ideal working conditions for migrant workers, including food and accommodation”, Suhail said.
Curiously, the development comes on the heels of the Bharatiya Janata Party national leaders joining a march in Kerala, in an attempt to popularise the party in the state. National leaders of the party including party president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had participated in the march. Many of the leaders had spoken about widespread political killings in Kerala.
