CM takes strong cognisance of assault on Odia migrant labourer

Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday took strong cognisance of the shocking assault on an Odia migrant labourer in Chennai, assuring stringent action against the culprits and full support for the victim’s recovery.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said: “The Odisha govt has taken this incident very seriously and is in constant contact with the Tamil Nadu administration. Necessary steps are being taken at the administrative level to provide the victim with all kinds of excellent treatment and assistance, and to ensure severe punishment for the culprits.”




Majhi further asserted: “The safety and self-respect of all Odias are paramount to us. Our govt is determined to ensure the safety of every Odia brother and sister working outside the state.” The state govt also deputed an officer to Tamil Nadu to investigate the matter.

Labour minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said the Tamil Nadu govt was also urged to take strict action against those responsible. Singh Khuntia said the officer sent to Tamil Nadu will conduct an on-ground inquiry and submit a detailed report to the state govt.

The attack occurred on the evening of Dec 27 aboard a Chennai–Tiruttani suburban EMU train. The victim, 20-year-old K Suraj, hails from Odisha and works as a daily-wage labourer in Tamil Nadu. According to police, four 17-year-old school dropouts boarded the train at Thiruvalangadu station carrying sickles hidden in bags.

A brief exchange in Hindi reportedly triggered the violence. The teens, allegedly intoxicated, launched a brutal assault on Suraj inside the compartment. One of them filmed the attack and later posted the video on Instagram, showing the group posing with weapons and flashing victory signs near railway quarters close to Tiruttani station.

Suraj sustained deep cuts and severe bleeding. He managed to stumble out of the train and reach a nearby road, where passers-by alerted railway police. He was rushed to Tiruttani Govt Hospital and later shifted to Thiruvallur Govt Medical College and Hospital. Doctors said his condition is stable after emergency treatment.

Police acted promptly, tracking the suspects through the viral video. All four were detained near Gangai Amman Temple on the Tiruttani–Arakkonam bypass the same night. They were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Tiruvallur.