SPEAKING BENGALI, BEING MUSLIM: The Twin ‘Crimes’ That Invite Detention in BJP States
Across Rajasthan, Assam, UP and Chhattisgarh, poor Bengali Muslim labourers—Indian citizens—are being detained, assaulted, and humiliated simply for speaking their mother tongue or looking a certain way. Families back in Murshidabad, Nadia, and Hooghly live in fear, often unaware of their loved ones’ whereabouts. Opposition leaders, civil society groups, and trade unions say this is a deliberate political campaign to intimidate and communalise. This second part of eNewsroom’s migrant series captures the human cost of profiling and silent state cruelty
Kolkata: 26 Hooghly Workers Detained in Chhattisgarh for Speaking Bengali: In a disturbing development as recent as on May 29, more than two dozen Bangla speaking Muslim migrant workers from Hooghly district were detained in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, by Tikrapara Police merely on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. The only ‘evidence’ against them was that they were speaking Bengali.
Five of them — Sheikh Nawaz Sharif, Sheikh Aminul, Sheikh Irfan, Sheikh Sahib, and Mirza Azeem, aged 26–32 — were formally arrested, even though all had valid Indian identity documents. They were later released after verification, but the damage was already done.
“We’ve worked in Chhattisgarh for over 15 years,” said Sheikh Azhar Uddin from Arambagh. “But now, police just detain anyone speaking Bengali. Is it a crime to speak our mother tongue in India?”
Detained for Speaking Bengali: Cooch Behar Family’s Ordeal in Rajasthan
Earlier to Chhattisgarh incident, twelve members of a Bengali-speaking family from Cooch Behar’s Dinhata-2 block were detained by Rajasthan Police simply for speaking their native language. Obaidul Khandekar, a resident of Balabari village, said the Patan Police Station in Sikar district held his entire family for nine days on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
“Speaking in Bangla has become a crime here,” Khandekar told eNewsroom. “Despite having Indian documents, we were branded as Bangladeshis. Even my wife and children were detained.” They were finally released on a Tuesday evening after sustained appeals and verification.
The family had been working at a local brick kiln in Rajasthan for years.
Nadia Worker Remains in Custody, Family Anxious
In a separate incident, 28-year-old Shafiqul Sheikh, a migrant construction worker from Kamari village in Nadia, was picked up by Rajasthan’s Lalkothari Police and transferred to a detention camp. He had been working in the state for some time.
While several other Bengali-speaking workers were released, Sheikh remains in custody. “I haven’t been able to contact my son. I don’t know where he is or how he’s doing,” said his father, his voice shaking with fear.
12 Murshidabad Migrants Detained in Assam, Released After Intervention
In Assam, at least 12 Bengali-speaking workers from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district were arrested while working as daily wage labourers in Golaghat district’s Numaligarh area. The Assam Police reportedly detained them on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
Initially, 16 workers were picked up. Four were released after Aadhaar and voter ID verification. The remaining 12—including Situ Sheikh, Abdus Sattar, Nishan Sheikh, Sahabaz Hashmi, and Khairul Sheikh—were taken into custody. The police allegedly confiscated their identity documents and mobile phones.
Jangipur SP Amit Kumar Sau confirmed their release following the submission of IDs by West Bengal authorities. However, several families say they still have not reestablished contact with their loved ones.
Andhra Pradesh: Workers Confined by Employer After Pahalgam Terror Attack
After the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, panic spread among migrant workers in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Several labourers from Murshidabad’s Domkal subdivision who wanted to return home alleged they were harassed and confined by their employers.
“When we asked to go home, they began threatening us,” said Zulfiqar, a rescued worker. Local administration intervened after workers informed Domkal police, leading to the rescue of seven labourers.
Detained Under a Tree: Five Murshidabad Workers Held in Uttar Pradesh
Five Bengali-speaking migrant workers resting under a tree in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, were detained simply for conversing in Bengali. Nur Islam and Saidul Islam of Azmatpur (Islampur), and Golam Rasul, Raihan Sheikh, and Sohel Rana of Bhagwangola were taken to Govindnagar Police Station.
Despite their Indian citizenship and IDs, police reportedly ignored their pleas. They were released only after urgent coordination between Murshidabad and Mathura police.
‘Forced to Chant Jai Shri Ram’: Brutal Assault in Ballia, UP
In Ballia district’s Rasra area, several Muslim workers from Baryan (Murshidabad) selling plastic goods were violently assaulted by a local mob on April 27.
“They asked for Aadhaar cards, then tore them up without reading,” a worker recounted. The group was then beaten, partially stripped, and forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram.”
“I raised my hands and chanted out of fear,” one of the victims said. “We were so terrified we couldn’t even lodge a police complaint.”
Yusuf, another worker, said, “I’ve been working here for years. But after the Pahalgam attack and the violence in Murshidabad, we’re suddenly being targeted. Just saying you’re from Murshidabad is enough to be harassed now.”
Labour Union Sounds Alarm: ‘No Administrative Support’
Asif Faruk, state general secretary of the Migrant Sramik Oikya Manch, expressed deep concern about the increasing harassment of Bengali workers in BJP-ruled states.
“Workers are being tortured, and there is no proper support from local administrations. Instead of protecting them, authorities are treating them as threats,” he told eNewsroom.
Faruk said his organisation receives distress calls daily. “The state government must act. We need systems in place to protect our workers across state borders.”
‘Deliberate Communal Targeting’: Civil Society Raises Alarm in Kolkata
A press conference held on Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata, saw strong condemnation from civil society leaders and activists. The Citizen Forum for Social Justice alleged that targeting Bengali-speaking Muslim workers is part of a larger communal conspiracy.
Waqf Bachao Andolan leader Umar Awais, Sikh leader Saran Singh, and Dr Mostafizur Rahman joined others in denouncing the attacks.
“What’s happening in BJP-ruled states is a direct assault on our Constitution,” said Irfan Sher. Maulana Ashraf Ali Qasemi called for a firm stance by the Bengal government. “These workers have every document. Branding them Bangladeshis is criminal.”
AICSS Calls for Nationwide Solidarity With Migrant Workers
The All India Centre of Shramik Swaraj (AICSS), which advocates for migrant labourers, strongly condemned the rising trend of branding Bengali-speaking Muslims as Bangladeshis.
R Kaleemullah, national president of AICSS, told eNewsroom, “These are the people who build India’s economy. Assaulting and detaining them undermines our democracy.”
“Is this what India stands for—where speaking Bengali can get you beaten or jailed?” he asked.
APDR’s Ranjit Sur: ‘Illegal Pushbacks, Detentions Without Process’
Ranjit Sur, secretary of Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), condemned the trend of labelling Bengali Muslims as Bangladeshis without due process.
“States like Gujarat and Assam are detaining Bengali Muslims without proper verification. In some cases, they’re even pushed back across the border illegally,” he said.
Sur urged the Bengal government to remain alert and intervene in every such case. “Even if someone is a foreign national, they can’t be pushed back arbitrarily. That’s illegal and unconstitutional.”
Yusuf Pathan and Adhir Ranjan wrote Home Minister and Odisha, Gujarat CMs: ‘Stop Harassing Our Workers’
Trinamool MP from Berhampore, Yusuf Pathan, has written to the Union Home Minister about the atrocities committed against migrant workers.
Senior Congress leader and former MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Gujarat after multiple cases of harassment emerged.
His letter said, “Poor, innocent labourers from Bengal are being detained, called foreigners, and even threatened with deportation. This violates their constitutional right to life and livelihood.”
Samirul Islam: ‘Organised Profiling Across India’
Rajya Sabha MP and social activist Samirul Islam has raised the matter both in Parliament and with Bengal Police.
“This is an organised campaign against poor Muslim workers from Bengal. Every second day we get reports — from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh — of people being picked up, tortured, or branded Bangladeshi,” Samirul told eNewsroom.
He recently wrote to Murshidabad and Nadia police chiefs seeking urgent coordination to track and rescue missing workers. “Many of them are citizens with full documents, but that doesn’t stop the abuse.”
Mamata Slams BJP: ‘Targeting Bengali Muslims in the Name of Bangladesh’
In a recent public address, CM Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers, calling it a “BJP conspiracy to communalise and criminalise Bengalis outside Bengal.”
“Why are only Bengali Muslims being questioned and tortured? Is speaking Bengali a crime in India now? We will not tolerate this discrimination,” she said, accusing BJP-ruled states of using citizenship as a tool to spread hatred.
