Twenty-three migrant workers from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district have been detained by Chhattisgarh Police in Bilaspur on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals and shifted to a holding centre in Raipur. The detentions have sparked concern among the workers’ families and triggered a fresh political row in Bengal.
Nineteen of the workers are from Harua village under Suti police station, while four belong to Dhanghara in the Samserganj area. The workers had reportedly travelled to Bilaspur around two months ago to sell household items door-to-door. Their families, however, insist that all 23 are Indian citizens and possess valid documents, including Aadhaar and voter identity cards. The relatives have approached local police and elected representatives, seeking intervention to secure their release.
Arif Sheikh, whose father Mostakim Sheikh is among those detained, said his father had been travelling to the Bilaspur area for work for nearly two decades. “My father has been visiting houses in the Bilaspur area to sell household goods for around 20 years. He went there again two months ago,” Arif said. “He has voter and Aadhaar cards, so I do not understand why he was held on suspicion of being Bangladeshi,” he added.
The wife of another detained worker, Laltu Sheikh, has lodged a complaint with Suti Police, maintaining that her husband and the others are Indian citizens with valid identity documents. She has also appealed to local representatives, including Suti MLA Imani Biswas and Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahman, to intervene.
Meanwhile, family members of some of the detained workers have travelled to Bilaspur carrying Aadhaar cards, EPICs, ration cards and land documents in an attempt to establish their identities.
Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahman said the families approached him after the workers were shifted to the Raipur holding centre. “They told me that all 23 workers possess Indian identity documents but were detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals,” he said. Rahman said he had written to the West Bengal Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and other officials, seeking immediate intervention and verification of the workers’ citizenship.
The incident comes amid an ongoing political controversy over the alleged detention and harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers, particularly Muslims, in several BJP-ruled states over suspicions of illegal immigration.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam accused BJP-ruled states of targeting Bengali-speaking minorities. “The practice of harassing Bengali-speaking people on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals is continuing,” Islam said in a post on X. “I strongly condemn the reported harassment of these 23 migrant workers and demand their unconditional release,” he added.
Jangipur Superintendent of Police P.D. Surindar Singh said the local police were coordinating with their counterparts in Chhattisgarh. “We are in touch with Chhattisgarh police and will provide whatever information is required,” Surindar Singh said.
