Outrage in Bengal over harassment of migrants in several BJP-ruled states

Obaydul Khandakar and his wife Beauty Bibi were among hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrant labourers subjected to harassment recently in several BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being Bangladeshi, a generic branding that has triggered socio-political outrage in West Bengal.

Also read: Gujarat’s Bangladeshi hunt leaves 6,000 Indians homeless for a year

Khandakar, a resident of West Bengal’s Dinhata in Cooch Behar district, migrated to Rajasthan last year to work in a brick kiln in Sikar district.

Harassment in Rajasthan

The kiln was “raided” by police from Patan police station who rounded up 13 Bengali-speaking Muslim migrants, including Khandakar and his wife, on May 5. There were also two children among those detained, Khandakar said over telephone.

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They were detained at a nearby guest house for over a week, despite having all valid documents, including an Aadhar card.

Only after administrative pressure from the West Bengal government were they finally released on Tuesday (May 13) evening.

Fury over injustice

On his release, Khandakar said he would come back to his home state, never to migrate again for livelihood.

Also read: Why India's anti-terror strike in Pakistan is a lesson for Bangladesh

“We showed all valid documents, including Aadhar card, to prove our Indian citizenship, and yet we were detained just because we speak a dialect that is similar to one in Bangladesh. Is speaking in Bengali a crime?” he said, raising a question that is haunting lakhs of migrant workers from the state ever since BJP-ruled states launched a so-called crackdown on Bangladeshi infiltrators.

22 lakh migrant workers

There are around 22 lakh migrants from West Bengal working in various states, as per the figures available with the state’s Migrant Workers Welfare Board (MWWB). West Bengal hosts 43.9 lakhs of in-migrants, as per the last census data.

The total number of internal migrants in India is 45.36 crores or 37 per cent of the country's population, as per the 2011 census.

Also read: Return to Bengal: Mamata to 'tortured' migrant labourers

The arbitrary crackdown could have adverse consequences on the migration process itself if the selective targeting continues unabated, as it is bound to trigger a chain reaction, said Arindam Das, secretary of Citizens for Social Justice.

“If the highly skilled masons from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district stopped migrating, it could impact the real estate sectors in various states. Proper legal procedures should be followed to detect infiltrators, if any, from Bangladesh,” said Das, who is also a senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court.

Protocol not followed

It will just need a phone call to the district magistrate concerned or the MWWB to determine whether a migrant labourer is actually from West Bengal, Samirul Islam, the TMC Rajya Sabha MP and the chairperson of the board, told The Federal.

He said the board has the database of all the migrant workers from the state and that the BJP-ruled states have been repeatedly urged to coordinate with the authorities in Bengal in case of any suspicion about the nationality of anyone from the state.

Guilty states

Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are the states from where most of the complaints of harassment to Bengali-speaking workers have been received, Islam said.

Apart from the government authorities, even self-styled Hindu vigilante groups are reportedly targeting Bengalis.

Chief minister’s complaint

"Why are you thrashing our people? I have information that Bengali-speaking people are being assaulted in Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. You are attacking our migrant workers for speaking Bengali, but we won't do the same. This is the difference between you and me,” West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying in Murshidabad recently.

“Over 1.5 crore people are working in our state, coming from diverse religions and regions...We don't want such instances to happen or misunderstandings to arise. We have reached out to the governments of Odisha, Bihar and Rajasthan,” she added.

West Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant also, earlier this month, drew the attention of the Central government, expressing concern over the development.

Unending harassment

“Our chief minister, chief secretary and I have flagged this issue on several occasions and also reached out to the concerned state governments to administratively resolve the problem,” Islam said, lamenting that the atrocities have not stopped.

“Every day, we get five to seven complaints of harassment. Even Hindus are being targeted. Recently, we got a complaint about Bengali Hindus being harassed for eating non-vegetarian food,” he alleged.

Gujarat’s overdrive

Last month, around 70 migrant labourers of the minority community from Murshidabad and Malda districts of West Bengal were sent home after allegedly being assaulted in BJP-ruled Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from the TMC, the Left Front and the Congress have also flagged the alarming developments.

"Police forces across the states, and mainly those of Gujarat, have gone on an overdrive to identify illegal immigrants, mainly Bangladeshis living in India. While it is a necessity to identify and deport illegal immigrants, most unfortunately and sadly, almost every Bengali-speaking Muslim, particularly the ones living outside West Bengal, is being targeted, harassed, tortured and threatened with deportation," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury wrote in a recent communique to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel.

Mounting anger in Bengal

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim too expressed concern over the development, criticising the BJP for the “discrimination”.

Various social organisations in Bengal have started raising their voice, expressing outrage.

“Bengali migrants, both Hindus and Muslims, are tortured and tormented as Bangladeshis when they go out of the state to work. They are sent back despite having valid citizenship documents. Many non-Bengalis are residing in our state. We have never said anything to them. Today, we have hit the streets to send out a message that this injustice will not be tolerated further,” said Jatiya Bangla Parishad president Arindam Biswas.

Kolkata protests

The parishad, a civil organisation, organised a protest rally in Kolkata on May 14.

Biswas said the parishad will continue its movement to mobilise people against the injustice. It will hold another roadside rally at Basanti in South Parganas district on May 18.

As the state switches into the election mode for the hustings due in March-April next year, the issue is likely to get more political traction.

BJP vs TMC

The BJP, however, blamed the TMC government for the ordeal faced by the migrants.

Many Bangladeshi infiltrators were caught with fake Indian documents in various states, which led to the suspicion against Bengali-speaking people, said state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

The TMC refuted the allegation, saying that if infiltration had taken place, the home ministry should be blamed. “Who guards the border? It is the BSF, which is under the home ministry,” Islam said.

Many in the BJP, however, expressed the need to stop such witch-hunting, realising that if such incidents are not prevented, it could fuel the Bengali-nationalist sentiment.

“There are over one crore illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in West Bengal with TMC’s patronage. They have spread across India after acquiring Aadhar cards and other documents. They are at the core of this problem. But while identifying and deporting these illegal migrants, it should be ensured that not a single genuine resident of Bengal should be harassed to prevent any backlash in the state,” said BJP leader Samsur Rahman, a former vice president of the party’s minority morcha in West Bengal.