Local-Migrant Clashes In Punjab: Mohali Village Imposes 11 Rules For UP-Bihar Workers Including Curfew After 9 Pm, Ban On Betel Leaf

In a striking move that has re-ignited the debate over the rights and dignity of domestic migrant workers in Punjab, the village of Jandpur in Kharar, Mohali district, has instituted a set of stringent rules aimed specifically at the hundreds of migrant labourers who call the village home.

The rules, which include a prohibition on them roaming outside after 9 pm, have sparked controversy and raised questions about discrimination and the authority of local governance.

Earlier this week, the rules were publicly displayed on hoardings throughout the village.

The rules, 11 in total, prohibit migrants from being outside their homes after 9 pm. They also forbid them from smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco or betel leaf, or even stepping out in their inner garments.

Furthermore, landlords have been directed to conduct mandatory police verifications for them and provide dustbins to prevent littering in the streets.

A strict occupancy limit has also been imposed, allowing no more than two individuals per rented room. They have also been told not to park their two-wheelers in the streets.

The rules also state that in case a migrant is found involved in a crime, the landlord would be held accountable.

Sajjan Singh, a Jandpur resident, voiced concerns that have been echoed by others in the community. He told the media that the migrant workers roam around half-naked, which is highly embarrassing for women.

Another villager pointed out that some migrants had been seen spitting on the road outside the village gurudwara, an act perceived as deeply disrespectful to their religious sentiments.

Readers may note that Sikhs consider smoking tobacco a taboo as the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, prohibited them from doing it.

The move follows a similar incident in Mundho Sangatian, a village in Mohali’s Kurali town, where a resolution passed last month outrightly barred migrants from residing in the village.

The resolution was justified on the grounds that children of migrant families were allegedly involved in thefts. The village has around 300 migrant workers, many of whom have reportedly started migrating out.

Meanwhile, the migrants have opposed the prohibitions imposed specifically on them. After they staged a protest outside the police station in Kharar, local councillor Govinder Singh Cheema intervened, seeking to defuse the escalating tensions.

Cheema assured both the police and the migrant workers that the rules would be revised to apply uniformly to all residents, not just the migrants.

The Kharar police have also questioned the villagers' authority to impose such directives even as villagers insist, they are essential for maintaining order.

The villagers told the media, that in the coming weeks, a committee formed by the villagers will embark on a door-to-door campaign to ensure compliance with the new rules. Any violations after an initial 15-day grace period will reportedly be met with fines.

Punjab and UP-Bihar migrants

The situation in Jandpur highlights the complex dynamics at play in Punjab where the influx of migrant workers, mainly from UP and Bihar, is increasingly leading to cultural and political clashes.

In the Mundho Sangatian case, a lawyer has petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court against the gram panchayat’s resolution, saying it violates the fundamental rights of its migrant residents by barring them from living in the village and using common resources.

According to reports, a survey conducted by the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government in 2016 estimated the migrant population in Punjab to be 39 lakh. For context, the total population of Punjab, as per the 2011 census, is 27,743,338.

The industrial city of Ludhiana is home to most migrants, followed by Jalandhar, Amritsar, Mohali, Bathinda, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur. Most migrants are from UP, and a substantial number is from Bihar.

A member involved in the survey estimated that 30 per cent of the migrant population had become voters in Punjab.

Ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, the then Congress leader and chief minister Charanjit Singh Chhani had sparked a similar controversy by derogatorily calling the migrants “bhaiyas” and saying that they should not be allowed to enter the state.

In the recent general elections, Congress’ Sangrur candidate Sukhpal Singh Khaira called for a law in Punjab similar to that of Himachal Pradesh. This proposed law would restrict migrants from other states from buying land, obtaining government jobs, or registering as voters unless they meet certain state-defined conditions.