TMC MP seeks Home Min’s intervention over attacks on Bengal workers in BJP-run states
Kolkata: After Berhampore Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan voiced concerns over migrant labourers from his Constituency being “systematically assaulted” in Odisha, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam has also written to Union Home minister Amit Shah, raising alarm over violence against Bengal workers in BJP-ruled states.
Islam sent a strongly-worded letter to Shah on Saturday, demanding immediate intervention to protect Bengali-speaking citizens working outside West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress parliamentarian has proposed a three-point intervention programme, including directing all state governments to ensure the safety of Bengali-speaking citizens, mandating thorough verification before taking action against individuals claiming origin from West Bengal and enforcing coordination with the West Bengal government in cases where Bengali-speaking persons are found in distress.
Islam, who chairs the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, has highlighted a “disturbing pattern of targeted hostility” against Bengali workers, particularly in BJP-ruled states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
His letter details reports of wrongful detentions, assaults and harassment of Bengali migrant workers despite them possessing valid identification documents.
“Many of these individuals, despite possessing valid identification documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and passports, have been unlawfully held — some for several days — without substantiated cause. Several cases involve residents from various districts of West Bengal being detained in Gujarat, despite presenting multiple valid forms of identification,” reads the letter.
Trinamool MP also highlighted how targeted hostility against Bengali-speaking workers has been escalating since 2014 and has intensified in recent months.
“It is a grave contradiction that, even after Bengali was accorded classical language status by the Union Government, its speakers are now being criminalised for using it,” Islam stated, emphasising that the pattern of violence has been predominantly reported from BJP-governed states.
Pathan’s April 27, correspondence had detailed “brutal attacks, intimidation, looting, and threats” against workers, reportedly following the formation of the BJP-led government in Odisha.
Pathan also requested a four-point intervention from the Home Ministry that includes stringent action against perpetrators and a Central fact-finding team to investigate the occurrences.
