May 5, 2025
KOLKATA – In an effort to safeguard Bengali migrant workers allegedly facing harassment across multiple states, Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam has submitted a strongly-worded letter to Union home minister Amit Shah today, demanding immediate intervention to protect Bengali-speaking citizens working outside West Bengal.
He is the second TMC parliamentarian to raise alarm on violence against Bengali workers in BJP-ruled states. Yesterday, Berhampore Trinamul Congress MP Yusuf Pathan had sought immediate intervention from the home ministry regarding the assault of Bengali migrant workers in Odisha.
The TMC RS member has proposed a three-point intervention programme, including directing all state governments to ensure the safety of Bengali-speaking citizens, mandating thorough verification before taking action against individuals claiming origin from West Bengal, and enforcing coordination with the Bengal government in cases where Bengali-speaking persons are found in distress.
Islam, who chairs the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, has highlighted a “disturbing pattern of targeted hostility” against Bengali workers, particularly in BJP-ruled states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Odisha. His letter details reports of wrongful detentions, assaults, and harassment of Bengali migrant workers despite them possessing valid identification documents.
“Many of these individuals, despite possessing valid identification documents such as aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and passports, have been unlawfully held – some for several days – without substantiated cause. Several cases involve residents from various districts of West Bengal being detained in Gujarat, despite presenting multiple valid forms of identification,” Islam wrote in his letter.
The Trinamul MP also highlighted how targeted hostility against Bengali-speaking workers has been escalating since 2014 and has intensified in recent months. He specifically pointed to reports of “entire Bengali-speaking settlements being targeted and set ablaze,” resulting in destroyed identification documents and displaced families. “It is a grave contradiction that, even after Bengali was accorded classical language status by the central government, its speakers are now being criminalised for using it,” Islam stated, emphasising that the pattern of violence has been predominantly reported from BJP-governed states.
Islam’s letter pointedly contrasts the situation with West Bengal’s treatment of migrants, stating: “In stark contrast, West Bengal continues to welcome millions of migrant workers from across the country, without a single reported incident of linguistic or regional discrimination.”