Death of Malda labourer in Chennai sparks political row
MALDA: The death of a 29-year-old migrant worker from Malda district in Chennai has left his family shattered and triggered a major political controversy over migrant labour safety and employment opportunities. The mutilated body of Alamgir Alam, a resident of Mashaldaha Bazar under Harishchandrapur block, was recovered from a forested area beside a railway track in Chennai, eight days after he went missing.
Alamgir had travelled to Chennai in search of work as there were no job opportunities in his village. According to his family, he was planning to go to Hyderabad for another job and had spoken to his wife shortly before boarding a train. “He told me he was leaving for Hyderabad. That was the last call. After that, his phone was switched off,” said his wife, Habanoor Khatun. The couple has two minor children.
Despite his co-workers informing the local police about his disappearance, his body was found days later near the station from where he was supposed to travel onward. The family suspects foul play. “We believe he was murdered. His body was badly injured. We want a proper investigation and strict punishment,” said his brother Abu Sama.
The incident has reignited a political slugfest. In a strongly worded official post, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) said: “A 29-year-old migrant worker from Bengal’s Malda, who dared to seek work outside his state, was brutally murdered in Chennai.
His mutilated body was recovered from a forest, leaving his wife and two young children destitute and shattered. Is migrating for work now a capital crime in @narendramodi’s ‘New India’? Is earning a living to feed your family punishable by death? This is the direct outcome of the pervasive atmosphere of hatred that @BJP4India has incubated across the nation… Bengalis… are now viewed as suspects, treated as ‘others,’ hunted, attacked, and slaughtered in cold blood.”
The BJP rejected the allegations, blaming unemployment in West Bengal for forced migration.
As political accusations continue, Alamgir’s family waits for justice and support, staring at an uncertain future.
