MP writes to Shah over assault on Bengal migrant workers

Trinamul Congress leader outlines four-point intervention plan to protect Bengali labourers facing violence in BJP-ruled state.

In a strongly-worded letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, Berhampore TrinamUl Congress MP Yusuf Pathan has sought immediate intervention regarding the assault of Bengali migrant workers in Odisha, highlighting grave concerns about labourers who have fled the neighbouring BJP-ruled state in fear for their lives. The Trinamul MP’s letter details disturbing accounts of systematic violence against workers from West Bengal, particularly those from his constituency of Berhampore, Murshidabad, who have been subjected to “brutal attacks, intimidation, looting, and threats to vacate their workplaces.”

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“I write to you with grave concern regarding the alarming rise in incidents of violence against migrant workers from West Bengal, particularly those hailing from my constituency Berhampore, Murshidabad and surrounding districts, who have recently returned from Odisha after being subjected to targeted attacks,” Pathan wrote in his letter to home minister Amit Shah, dated 27 April.

He added that according to multiple reports, this is linked to the formation of the BJP-led government in Odisha, following which, “several organised groups have allegedly launched systematic assaults on labourers from West Bengal.” The AITC MP added: “Many have been assaulted at night, robbed of their mobile phones and earnings, had their Aadhaar cards destroyed, and forcibly evicted from their accommodations. Disturbingly, similar incidents occurred in August-September 2024 as well.”

The letter specifically highlights concerns about the targeting of workers based on regional identity, particularly those from the Muslim community, describing such actions as a violation of “the fundamental principles of unity, integrity, and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution.”

In response to these events, the Trinamul Congress MP has 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.

“I urge the Ministry of Home Affairs to: 1) Direct the Odisha state administration to take prompt and stringent action against the perpetrators; 2) Ensure the safety and security of all migrant workers across the affected districts; 3) Constitute a central fact-finding team to investigate the root causes and scale of the violence; and 4) Provide necessary relief and rehabilitation support to the workers returning to West Bengal,” Pathan wrote in his letter.

The MP emphasised that this situation transcends ordinary law and order issues, describing it as “a matter of human dignity and the constitutional right to work and reside in any part of our federal nation.”