Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Scores of migrant workers in Kozhikode have left for their homes following a fake news that a worker from West Bengal was beaten to death by his employer. As the fake news, being circulated in social media, reportedly triggered an exodus of workers, Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan said “forces in North India” were behind the move to show the state in poor light.

A fake audio clip being circulated in Kozhikode for the last two days purportedly claimed that a hotel employee from West Bengal was beaten to death by his employer. In certain messages, fake video clips were also used to create panic among the workers. Subsequently, workers employed in hotels started leaving the city.

Kozhikode District Hotel and Restaurants Association president T V Muhammed Suhail said the false campaign has seen workers returning to their native place. “Hundreds of workers have quit Kozhikode in the last few days and already two hotels had to be closed. Seeing messages in whatsapp and facebook groups, families are putting pressure on the workers to return at the earliest. We have complained to the police in this regard,’’ said Suhail.

Reacting to the incident, the Chief Minister said there is concerted attempt from North India to insult Kerala and to destroy the harmony existing in the state. “There is a campaign in social media that migrant workers are being attacked. The forces, which want to destroy the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the state, are behind this false propaganda,’’ said Vijayan, in his Facebook page.

He said Kerala has always taken care of the migrant workers by introducing several welfare measures. “People in Kerala look at migrant workers as their brothers. There is ulterior motive behind the false propaganda that migrant workers were attacked. There was not even single incident of migrant worker being attack in Kerala in the recent past,” he said.

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