Masked Gunmen Target Migrant Workers in Rural Punjab, Sparking Statewide Alarm
In a deeply disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves across Punjab, three masked gunmen opened fire on a group of ten migrant mill workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the rural Moga district on Tuesday. The brazen daylight attack left two workers injured and has triggered serious concerns about a potential escalation in anti-migrant violence in the state.
Details of the Violent Assault
The shooting occurred around 11 AM on the Moga–Zira road in Khosa Jalal village, as the workers were walking back to their living quarters from a rice mill. According to eyewitness accounts and emerging video evidence, one of the masked assailants fired three to four rounds directly at the group. The workers recoiled in terror and scattered as the trio sped away from the scene.
Villagers reported that the gunmen appeared to have conducted reconnaissance of the area beforehand, having driven back and forth multiple times before launching their attack. The Moga–Zira road corridor is known for housing numerous rice mills and factories that employ substantial numbers of migrant laborers from other states.
Victims and Police Response
The injured workers have been identified as Ashok Kumar and Subodh, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh. They sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and are currently receiving treatment at Moga Civil Hospital, where their condition is reported as stable.
Moga Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Gandhi stated that the investigation remains at an early stage and authorities have not yet classified the incident as a hate crime. However, he emphasized that "nothing is being ruled out" as police examine CCTV footage from the area and probe all possible angles.
According to police sources, the victims had no prior enmity with anyone. "We were on a break and going for lunch when they fired at us," one of the injured workers recounted, adding that all three attackers were completely masked. Other workers expressed profound trauma and fear for their safety following the violent episode.
Social Media Claims and Wider Implications
Adding a troubling dimension to the incident, an Instagram handle later posted video footage of the shooting and claimed responsibility for the attack. The post used inflammatory language against migrants, alleging they were "treating Punjab as their fiefdom." The social media message named two individuals and sought to justify the violence by referencing past crimes allegedly involving migrants, including an indirect reference to the killing of a five-year-old boy in Hoshiarpur last year—an incident that had previously sparked widespread resentment against migrant laborers in parts of Punjab.
Industry Leaders Voice Grave Concerns
The attack has prompted strong reactions from Punjab's industrial community, with business leaders warning of potentially severe consequences for the state's economy. Upkar Singh Ahuja, president of the Ludhiana-based Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU), described the incident as "a direct attempt to destabilize law and order" in the state.
Echoing these concerns, Tulsi Ram Misra, chairman of the Ludhiana Focal Point Welfare Association, noted that the attack evoked memories of sporadic violence against migrants during Punjab's troubled years of terrorism. "Punjab's industry runs on migrant labor. Any message of fear will hurt the state irreversibly," Misra warned.
Misra, who himself migrated from Uttar Pradesh in 1964 and later established multiple industries in Ludhiana, emphasized that such incidents could inflict lasting damage on Punjab's industrial ecosystem and economic stability.
The incident has raised urgent questions about the safety of migrant workers in Punjab and the potential for targeted violence to disrupt the state's social fabric and economic foundations.
