Nineteen migrant workers from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district have been released after spending around 15 days in custody in Chhattisgarh following their detention on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Four others reportedly remain in detention as authorities continue verifying their documents.
The workers, from the Suti, Raghunathganj and Samserganj areas of Murshidabad, were detained on September 4 in the Bilaspur area of Chhattisgarh. Their families alleged that the workers had shown documents including voter identity cards, Aadhaar cards and PAN cards when they were detained.
Reports also indicated that their Bengali language and regional identity were among the factors that raised suspicion about their nationality.
Workers Detained on September 4
According to their families, the workers had been living in Chunchiapara-Ganesh Nagar under Sirgiti police station and earned their livelihood by travelling between different areas to sell household goods.
Many of them had reportedly been working in Chhattisgarh for several years while supporting their families in Murshidabad.
The 23 workers were later taken to a holding centre in Raipur, where they remained for around two weeks.
On Friday, September 18, 19 of them were released following verification of their identities and documents. Reports citing police sources said the verification established the Indian citizenship of those released.
Four workers, however, reportedly remain detained.
Families Question Continued Detention
The families of those still in custody have raised questions over why they have not been released along with the others.
Monirul Islam, whose family member is among those still detained, questioned the continued custody.
“The migrant workers were detained with the tag of ‘Bangladeshi’. They were picked up despite showing voter cards, PAN cards and Aadhaar cards. Why was my brother not released even though 19 were released?” he said.
TMC MP Welcomes Release
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam confirmed the release of the 19 workers in a post on X.
“Finally, 19 of the 23 persons from the Suti, Raghunathganj and Samserganj areas of Murshidabad, who had been detained in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, since September 4 on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals, have been released today. We hope the remaining four, who are still in detention because their names were deleted during the SIR, will also be released soon,” he wrote.
Islam criticised what he described as the continued harassment of Bengali speaking people on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals.
“The practice of harassing Bengali-speaking people on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals has been continuing for years. Now, speaking Bengali outside our state seems to be tantamount to having to prove one’s citizenship,” he said.
He also said the workers had faced harassment despite Bengali being recognised as a classical language by the Union government.
“They were detained on September 4 and released only after a fortnight,” Islam said.
MP Raises Concern Over Migrant Workers
Islam further said that poor migrant workers, particularly those from minority communities, were among those most affected by such actions.
“Targeting poor migrant workers, particularly those from minority communities, for harassment is deeply concerning. In every such case, the biggest sufferers are people from poor, hand-to-mouth families,” he said.
The four remaining workers are reportedly still undergoing verification, while their families await further information about their release.
