Former Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised the issue of alleged discrimination and violence against Bengali-speaking migrant workers in several parts of India.
Chowdhury urged the PM to “sensitise all the governments in the country” to prevent such incidents, pointing out that a majority of such violent incidents are happening in BJP-ruled states.
“A harrowing incident took place in Odisha’s Sambalpur where a youth, Juyel Sk, of my district Murshidabad was bludgeoned to death on allegations of being a Bangladeshi infiltrator,” Chowdhury wrote in a letter to the PM.
He was referring to the incident from December 24 when three migrant workers from West Bengal’s Murshidabad were thrashed at Sambalpur in Odisha. Two of them managed to escape while one, Juyel Rana, was beaten to death over suspicion of being a Bangladeshi as he spoke in Bengali.
Alleging widespread discrimination in the country, the Congress leader said, “Migrant workers from West Bengal, who are spread across the length and breadth of our country, are regularly confronting severe discrimination in various states (most precisely BJP-ruled states).”
Chowdhury, in his letter, stated that Bengali-speaking workers are allegedly being targeted because their language is mistaken for those with Bangladeshi nationality. He claimed that such workers, despite contributing to the economy through their labour, are subjected to abuse, violence and, in some cases, fatal attacks.
{{/usCountry}}Chowdhury, in his letter, stated that Bengali-speaking workers are allegedly being targeted because their language is mistaken for those with Bangladeshi nationality. He claimed that such workers, despite contributing to the economy through their labour, are subjected to abuse, violence and, in some cases, fatal attacks.
{{/usCountry}}“Their only offence is that they speak in Bengali, which is often misunderstood by the concerned administration as persons belonging to neighbouring Bangladesh and treated as infiltrators,” he wrote.
Chowdhury also alleged administrative lapses, stating that law enforcement agencies fail to distinguish between ‘Banglabhasi’ (Indian Bengali speakers) and ‘Bangladeshi’ nationals, leading to wrongful detention.
The Congress leader stressed that migrant workers have constitutional rights to live, work, and visit any part of the country, as he called on the Centre to ensure their safety and security.