Kolkata, Jul 25 (PTI) The West Bengal Police on Friday launched a WhatsApp helpline, 9147727666, to provide assistance to migrant workers facing problems in other states.

The helpline was launched after several complaints were received that people from the state were encountering a range of problems, from workplace exploitation to unsafe living conditions, while working in other states, a police officer said.

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"In many cases, the victims or their families do not know where or how to report such incidents. To bridge this gap, the state police are urging affected individuals or their family members to promptly inform their local police station or district control room," he said.

"The WhatsApp-only helpline is also launched for the purpose, so that families can send messages detailing the nature of the problems, along with the victim's name and address," he said.

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The officer said all messages will be verified, and we will coordinate with the state authorities concerned to take necessary action.

This initiative by the state police comes as the ruling TMC has been alleging that Bengali-speaking people were being harassed in BJP-ruled states, and tagged Bangladeshi.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)