West Bengal Chief Secretary seeks Odisha counterpart’s help to stop harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers

The letter, dated July 3, termed such treatment “unacceptable” and sought verification of the Indian citizenship of these workers, who have “long contributed to Odisha’s economy as daily wage workers, rickshaw pullers, domestic help, and long-term settlers”. It also emphasised the need to protect their dignity and prevent any human rights violations in the region.

Mr. Pant said despite multiple attempts at providing verified data from the West Bengal government for its people, there has been no concrete action in Odisha to stop such instances of harassment and offer relief to the migrant workers.

“We are receiving disturbing reports of such individuals being detained without due legal process in regions around Paradip and across coastal districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Malkangiri, Balasore, and Cuttack. Despite producing valid identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, electricity bills, and PDS documents, the claims of these individuals are being dismissed,” the letter stated.

‘Take humanitarian view’

The Bengal Chief Secretary appealed to his Odisha counterpart to “take a humanitarian view of the matter and ensure that these individuals, who are Indian citizens, are not subjected to arbitrary detention or harassment based on linguistic or regional identity”. Mr. Pant added that the West Bengal government is ready to provide any additional data and verification required to ensure that they remain safe.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam also spoke out against the alleged harassment, stating that even after providing all required documents, including Aadhaar cards and electoral lists, the Odisha government was not satisfied. “Odisha has no further demands, but still their police are refusing to release these poor migrant workers in many cases. They are detained illegally beyond 24 hours without being produced before the court,” Mr. Islam said in a social media post. He urged the Odisha government to “not ignite the politics of hatred and let the migrants live in peace and with dignity”.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has on multiple occasions in the last few months alleged that people hailing from the State who speak in Bengali are being branded as “Bangladeshis” in some BJP-ruled States. “Is it a crime to speak in Bengali? Even Indians who have valid documents but are found speaking in Bengali are being branded as Bangladeshis and detained,” she said.