TMC slams BJP over lynching of Bengal migrant worker in Odisha
KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Thursday intensified its attack on the BJP, alleging that the lynching of a Bengali migrant worker in Odisha was a direct result of what it called a sustained campaign of harassment against Bengalis in BJP-ruled states. Reacting to the killing of 21-year-old Juel Sheikh from Murshidabad district of West Bengal in Sambalpur, the TMC said the incident reflected a dangerous narrative portraying Bengali-speaking Indians as infiltrators. In a post on X, the party alleged that Sheikh was beaten to death because a mob suspected him of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant. The lynching of a Bengali migrant worker in Sambalpur is the direct outcome of @BJP4Indias sustained campaign against Bengalis. A citizen of India was beaten to death because a mob believed the lie that Bengalis are infiltrators who must constantly prove their right to exist, the TMC alleged. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sheikh Samirul Islam said incidents of violence against Bengali-speaking migrant workers were becoming frequent in BJP-ruled states, particularly Odisha. Around 30 lakh migrant labourers from West Bengal work outside the state in the unorganised sector. The Bengal government has already moved the Supreme Court seeking justice on this issue, he told the TNIE . Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has earlier expressed concern over repeated incidents of harassment of migrant workers from West Bengal. In August, she urged migrant labourers to return to the state and start their own businesses. Addressing a programme on MSMEs, she said her government was working to prepare a list of migrant workers, which would be done at the 'Duare Sarkar' (government at doorstep) camps. The incident occurred on Wednesday night in Shantinagar under the Ainthapalli police station area in Sambalpur district, where Sheikh and other migrant workers from West Bengal were employed in construction work. Police said the group was stopped by six local men while returning from work, allegedly over a request for a bidi, which led to an altercation and a scuffle. Sheikh was allegedly thrashed severely and later died while undergoing treatment at a Sambalpur hospital. Police said all six accused have been arrested. Six held in migrant labourer murder in Odisha; lynching on suspicion of being Bangladeshi ruled out According to state labour department sources, around 1.2 lakh migrant workers have applied under the Shramasree scheme, expressing interest in returning to West Bengal. Of these, verification has begun and over 1,500 workers have been receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 since October. Under the Shramasree scheme, launched in mid-August, the state government offers returning migrant workers a one-time assistance of Rs 5,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 for a year during the rehabilitation period. Applications are processed through a mobile app, with police verification underway. For years, BJP leaders have deliberately branded Bengali-speaking Indians as infiltrators, outsiders, and suspects. That poisonous narrative has now reached the streets, where anyone feels empowered to act as immigration officers and executioners, Mamata alleged while addressing on issues in connection with migrant workers working outside Bengal.
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