Post Mamata’s prod, around 300 Itahar migrant workers released from detention in Rajasthan; families thank CM

Raiganj: The family members of around 300 migrant workers heaved a sigh of relief and expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the release of the workers from detention in Rajasthan. They have expressed caution about returning to Rajasthan for work.

Nearly 300 migrant workers from Marnai Gram Panchayat (GP) in Itahar of North Dinajpur district were detained by Rajasthan Police at Fulbagh, Alwar district, on Tuesday after being misidentified as Bangladeshi nationals because they allegedly spoke Bengali.

Despite producing valid Aadhaar and voter identity cards, the workers were allegedly held in a hall room for several hours without proper verification of their documents.

Following intervention by Mamata Banerjee and the Bengal government, the workers were finally released late on Tuesday. Expressing outrage over the incident in the state Assembly on Tuesday, Banerjee said that she would bring this matter to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Banerjee said that she asked Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to immediately speak with his Rajasthan counterpart regarding the detention of the workers.

“Is it a crime to speak in Bangla, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda among other luminaries? I think Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not aware of this development but I will ensure he gets to know.” Banerjee said.

She accused the BJP of ‘playing politics’ over language. The incident triggered panic among families back home in Itahar. Many women and men from Itahar work as drivers, car washers, cooks and domestic helpers in Rajasthan. One migrant worker, Minhaj Sheikh, who recently returned from Rajasthan said: “A few days ago I returned home for a festival. My co-workers from Rajasthan informed me of the detentions over the phone from Rajasthan. As they spoke in Bengali, police suspected them to be Bangladeshis. They have all the necessary documents as proof of their Indian citizenship. However, the police were not even bothered to check the documents. I have to return to my workplace in Rajasthan soon. I am worried over this incident.”

Baheran Beuwa, a mother from Ghisahar village whose two sons and their wives were among those detained, described the incident as both deliberate and distressing. “We hail from poor families. My two sons and their wives went to Rajasthan for work but the police intentionally labelled them as Bangladeshis and detained them. We thank our Chief Minister who ultimately saved them. We are now worried for the future.”

Musaraf Hussen, MLA Itahar, said: “On being informed about the incident, I immediately brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Reacting swiftly, Banerjee directed the Chief Secretary to talk to his counterpart in Rajasthan and ensure their release. We are thankful to our Chief Minister who always stands with the people of Bengal.”