Second migrant death in 3 days: Assam worker found dead in Kerala well
Dhanmani Deka was found dead inside a water well at Perumbavoor in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Monday morning
The deceased, Dhanmani Deka, was from Thekaraguri village in Lakhimpur. (AT Photo)
North Lakhimpur, Feb 3: A 51-year-old migrant worker from Assam was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kerala, adding to growing concerns over the safety of workers from the state employed outside Assam.
The deceased, identified as Dhanmani Deka, hailed from Thekaraguri village in Lakhimpur district. He was found dead inside a water-well at Perumbavoor in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Monday morning.
Family members said they were informed about the discovery around noon on Monday by people from the area where Deka was working. His wife said Deka had last spoken to her on Sunday afternoon, after which his phone remained switched off.
Deka, a father of three and the sole breadwinner of his family, had been working at a plywood factory in Kerala for the past year. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
The incident comes close on the heels of another shocking case involving migrant workers from Assam.
Just two days earlier, four young workers from Lakhimpur district were found dead inside a single room at Mutsandra village in Hoskote taluk, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, under suspicious circumstances.
The deceased in the Karnataka incident were identified as Jayant (25), Nirendranath (24), D. Taide (25) and Dhananjay (20).
Police have suspected that poor ventilation may have caused a build-up of toxic fumes or depletion of oxygen inside the room, leading to suffocation while they were asleep.
Responding to concerns after the Bengaluru incident, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the Assam government had taken up the matter with the Karnataka authorities.
Following Dhanmani Deka’s death, his family has appealed to the Assam government to bring back his mortal remains under the ‘Shraddhanjali’ scheme.
Launched in October 2025, the scheme facilitates the dignified return of the bodies of Assam residents who die outside the state. Officials said more than 150 bodies have been repatriated under the initiative so far.