At least 20–23 migrant workers from Murshidabad district in West Bengal have allegedly been detained in Chhattisgarh after being suspected of being “Bangladeshi” because they speak Bengali, according to their families and local sources.
The workers, who have been living and working in Chhattisgarh for several years, were allegedly picked up by police despite producing documents including voter identity cards, PAN cards and Aadhaar cards, their families claimed. The incident has triggered anxiety among their relatives in Sahabad village under Suti police station in Murshidabad.
Families Identify Detained Workers
According to family members, the detained workers include Ejajul Sheikh (28), Safikul Alam (42), Islam Sheikh (69), Kiron Sheikh (22), Ebrahim Sheikh (38), Enjamul Sheikh (25) and Mosikul Kha (28), all residents of Sahabad village of Murshidabad. Several other workers from the same area are also reportedly among those detained. The families have approached Suti police station and submitted a written application seeking information about the workers and demanding their release.
Workers Had Moved to Chhattisgarh for Jobs
According to family, the workers had travelled to Chhattisgarh around 15 years ago in search of employment. Many of them worked as hawkers and were dependent on their earnings to support their families in Murshidabad. The workers reportedly lived in the Chunchiapara-Ganesh Nagar area under Sirgiti police station in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
Family members alleged that police arrived at their residences on the night of Friday, September 4, and took the workers into custody. They were reportedly kept at a police station for several hours before being taken elsewhere. The families alleged that the workers were being detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals despite showing documents establishing their identity and citizenship.
Wife Says Workers’ Phones Were Confiscated
Afsana Bibi, the wife of one of the detained workers, said police had previously summoned her husband and several other workers to verify or collect their documents. “The Chhattisgarh Police had summoned my husband and several others to the police station three or four times earlier to collect their documents. On Friday, however, the police suddenly arrived and took them away. My husband is not Bangladeshi; we are Indians and possess valid documents,” she told the media.
Afsana alleged that around 23 people, including her husband, had subsequently been taken to a detention facility and labelled as Bangladeshis. “Their phones have been confiscated, and I have not been able to contact my husband since Friday. I do not know about his condition or whereabouts. Our young children are at home and are crying for their father,” she said.
Families Question Alleged Detention
The wife of another detained worker, Safikul Alam, said the workers had travelled to Chhattisgarh only because of their economic circumstances. “My husband went to Chhattisgarh for work out of necessity. The money he sends home is used to feed our children and pay for their education. If he remains detained, how will I run the household? What will I feed the children?” she said.
She further questioned whether Bengali-speaking migrant workers could be subjected to such treatment merely because of their language. “Will the police pick us up and label us Bangladeshi simply because we speak Bengali? None of us are Bangladeshis. Our forefathers lived on this soil,” she stated.
Contractor Alleges Workers Were Taken at Night
Ramjan Sk, a resident of Sahabad village and a contractor working in Chhattisgarh, said the detained workers had been employed through him. Speaking to The Observer Post, Ramjan alleged that the workers were taken away during the night. “The police came in the dead of night and took the workers away. Initially, they were kept at the police station. From there, they were taken to the office of the Bilaspur Superintendent of Police. I later received information that they had been moved to a detention camp in Raipur,” he said.
According to Sk, the police had previously summoned the workers several times to collect or verify their documents, but no major issue had arisen at that time. “They had been called to the police station three or four times earlier for their documents, and there had been no problem. But last Friday, the police arrived and detained them without listening to what we had to say,” he alleged. Ramjan said he had submitted a written petition to the police seeking the workers’ release.
Detention Causes Anxiety Among Families
The alleged detention has caused considerable concern among the families of the workers in Sahabad, many of whom depend on remittances sent home by relatives working outside West Bengal.
Migrant Workers’ Forum Seeks Their Release
Asif Faruk, general secretary of the “Migrant Workers’ Unity Forum”, told The Observer Post, “Approximately 23 migrant workers from the Suti area of Murshidabad district, had travelled to Chhattisgarh in search of employment and livelihood. According to information received from their families, they have reportedly been detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. The family members further informed us that the workers were subsequently taken by Sirgity Police to the Raipur Detention Camp. The families of the concerned workers have already submitted written intimation to Suti Police Station regarding the matter.”
“The detained workers are permanent residents of Murshidabad district, West Bengal, and are ordinary migrant workers who had travelled outside the state in search of employment. If they have been detained merely on the basis of their identity, language, or for speaking Bengali and thereby being suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals, the matter is extremely concerning. The families of these approximately 23 workers are presently living in a state of deep anxiety and distress. We therefore earnestly request you to treat this matter as urgent and humanitarian in nature and take all necessary administrative and legal steps to verify their identities, secure their safe release, and facilitate their return to their homes,” Faruk added.
