Gone girls | Death of 14 Juang girls from Odisha in Tiruvallur ammonia gas leak exposes tribe’s socio-economic struggle
When the MGR Chennai Central–Bhubaneswar Superfast Express pulled into the Bhubaneswar railway station on the morning of June 27, Sari Juang, along with her two younger sisters, had just cheated death by a mile. The over 1,500-km journey back to their home State followed a deadly ammonia gas leak at their workplace – a seafood processing plant in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur – on June 21. Sari and her sisters Sasmita and Ratni were witness to the death and destruction caused by the gas leak that tore through the seafood plant, killing their co-workers, mostly women and minor girls from Odisha. Of the 17 migrant workers who died, 14 were from Odisha – all in their teens and from the Juang community – two from Assam, and one from Jharkhand. Some of the workers are still undergoing treatment in hospitals in Tamil Nadu. According to survivor accounts, the gas leak occurred outside the workers’ residential quarters during night, exposing them to toxic fumes while they were asleep. Following initial investigations, officials said labour contractors specifically hired …
