Kodagu, a tiny district of the southern part of Karnataka with a unique culture and tradition, is grappling with a severe labour shortage; it has seen an influx of migrants from distant states like Assam, Odisha, and West Bengal, who have settled here to work as labourers. However, concerns are mounting that many of these migrants, who claim to be from Assam, may be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Recent developments in Bangladesh have fueled suspicions that Bangladeshis are infiltrating Kodagu under the guise of being Assamese workers. This has sparked anxiety among the local population, who fear the potential social and security implications of such migration.
Initially, these migrant workers were engaged primarily in labour-intensive roles within the district’s coffee plantations. However, they have gradually diversified their activities, transitioning into various other sectors. Many now operate as traders during weekly markets in key towns across Kodagu, including Madikeri, Kushalanagar, Suntikoppa, Virajpet, Gonikoppa, and Napoklu. Their presence is no longer confined to plantation work; they have expanded into agriculture, trade, construction, and even hospitality roles, such as room boys in homestays and resorts and chefs and suppliers in local hotels.
This shift in their economic activities and increasing involvement in criminal activities has raised alarms among the residents. Reports indicate that Assamese labourers in the district have been implicated in a range of criminal cases, including illegal beef trade, theft, robbery, drug sales, rape, and physical altercations. The growing suspicion that Bangladeshis are entering Kodagu under the cover of being Assamese workers has intensified concerns, leading to calls for heightened vigilance by local authorities.
The Kodagu Police Department has urged the public to report any sightings of unfamiliar individuals in their communities. There is also speculation about local brokers facilitating the safe entry and settlement of these migrants, making it difficult for the police to maintain strict surveillance.
District Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan has advised coffee plantation owners and other employers in Kodagu to exercise caution when hiring migrant workers. He stressed the importance of verifying the backgrounds and documentation of these workers and reporting any suspicious individuals to the authorities immediately.
According to police sources, the number of Assamese workers in Kodagu is increasing yearly. There is growing concern that illegal immigrants could one day pose a significant threat to law and order in the district. Former Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, KG Bopaiah, echoed these concerns, warning that the district might face serious disturbances if the influx of illegal immigrants is not addressed promptly. He also noted the existence of a large network of local facilitators who provide these migrants with the necessary documents, further complicating the situation.
As Kodagu grapples with labour issues, the district faces the added challenge of addressing the potential risks of illegal immigration, necessitating a coordinated response from local authorities and the community.
Kodagu accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s coffee production, 3.6 lakh tonnes. Coffee plantations are labour intensive, particularly during the November-March coffee picking season, which sees estate owners scrambling to get labourers for various activities like digging coffee pits, shade lapping of trees, coffee picking, pulping, drying, etc.
The coffee growers worry about the criminal activities of migrant labourers. On February 4 2019, a minor Dalit girl in Siddapur in Virajpet taluk went missing, and her decomposed body was discovered ten days later. During police interrogation, two men from West Bengal confessed to raping and strangling her after she rejected their advances.
It was at this time that the Kodagu district police asked plantation owners to furnish details of workers hailing from the northeastern states, expediting the process that was initiated during the 2018 floods and landslides in Kodagu to take stock of the migrants and arrange to send them home if the estates they were working in had been damaged.
This horrific rape and murder incident came just after the murder of a coffee trader and another of an Assamese labourer, giving anti-immigrant sentiment a boost in the district. This incident evoked strong protests in many parts of the district. Perhaps for the first time, the violent nature of the crime saw local labour groups and organisations coming together to demand that the migrants be sent back to their native states. The protests were supported by Congress, BJP, CPM and JDS workers.
However, the labour shortage situation is grim in Kodagu as daily wages for male labourers rise to Rs 500 per day and Rs 300 for women. Despite growers being willing to pay more, labourers are unavailable on time.
Speaking to the Organiser, Ponnampet coffee grower Chammatira Praveen Uthappa said,” I own 8 acres of coffee estate. I am paying Rs 500 for male labourers and Rs 320 for female labourers, and I am paying jeep rent daily to bring labourers as I do not have an accommodation facility for them. But despite paying this much of wages, we face a shortage of labourers during coffee picking season. However, the migrant worker’s involvement in criminal activities concerned owners. On June 15, a team of migrant workers robbed an estate owner of Rs 50 thousand in a coffee estate in Kutta and fled from the scene, which is not traceable even now.
Interestingly, all the labourers have Adhar cards from West Bengal and Assam. According to sources, the agents in West Bengal backed by TMC political leaders
Bringing Bangladeshi labourers through illegally crossing international borders. A team of 10-15 labourers cross the borders at a time. Once they landed on Indian soil, the agents gave them Adhar cards. The agents charge 5-6 thousand per illegal immigrant. The government should take stringent measures to check illegal Bangladeshi nationals entering here.
