Chandigarh, Sept. 20 -- More than 500 intellectuals, writers, artists, students, and social activists have come together to issue a powerful appeal to the people of Punjab, urging them to unite against the incidents of violence and hatred targeting migrant workers. The appeal comes in the wake of the recent incident in Hoshiarpur, where a five-year-old child was brutally murdered after being subjected to horrific abuse. "This heinous crime was committed by a diseased mind, and the law must take its course swiftly to punish the guilty," the signatories stated. They further emphasised that crime has no religion, caste, colour, or region, and to equate an act of individual depravity with an entire community is both unjust and dangerous. The signatories included Association for Democratic Rights president Prof Jagmohan Singh; former editor Swarajbir Singh; political scientist Harish Puri; economists Sucha Singh Gill and Ranjit Singh Ghuman; social activist Navsharan Kaur; former professors Sukhdev Singh Sirsa, Parminder Singh, Prof Chaman Lal, and Sarabjit Singh; former director, health services Dr Areet Kaur; and writer Surjit Judge. Expressing concern over the aftermath of the incident, they condemned the targeting of migrant workers in Punjab by certain local groups and panchayats. They noted that such vilification not only scapegoats vulnerable communities but also dangerously fractures the state's social fabric, while serving narrow political interests in the context of the upcoming Bihar elections. The statement reminded Punjabis of the historic role migrant workers have played in building Punjab's prosperity-from the fields of the Green Revolution to industrial hubs. Their presence, the appeal noted, has been immortalised in Punjabi culture and literature, including the poetry of Surjit Patar. "They are not outsiders; they are part of us," it asserted. The signatories warned that demonising migrant workers is both an economic folly and a betrayal of Punjab's spiritual heritage. They pointed out that migration is born of necessity, not choice, and that migrant labour exists in Punjab because the state's economy depends on it. Drawing parallels, the statement asked: "If the crime of one individual condemns an entire community, should Punjabis living abroad in Canada, America, Europe, and other Indian states also be punished for the crime of one among them? Such thinking is not only unjust, it is self-destructive." The appeal stressed that while the guilty must be punished, hatred and violence against an entire community must end....