The hard work of migrant labourers from Bengal has become an integral part of nearly every Indian state today. Even in our own Kerala, it is these worker friends whom people bank on to climb coconut trees, tap rubber, sow and harvest paddy, build homes and roads, and even prepare authentic Kerala feasts. There was a time when it was Malayalis, Tamils, and Biharis who took on the most labour-intensive jobs across the country. Keralites and Tamils eventually ventured into foreign employment and internal migration, seeking entrepreneurial opportunities. But as for those who remain trapped in poverty without such escape routes, people from West Bengal, Bihar, and the northeastern states continue to flee across the country in search of a livelihood. In addition to poor living conditions, labour exploitation, and inhumane treatment, these workers, especially those from Bengal and Assam, must also endure rising suspicions about their citizenship just to move forward in life.
Statements by Sangh Parivar leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, suggesting that all Bengali-speaking Muslims are illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, and the narratives propagated by media in line with these claims, strike deep anguish into the hearts of migrant workers. Last month, in Maharashtra, seven workers, including a Bengali couple who had come seeking employment, were arrested by Mumbai Police on allegations of being Bangladeshis, were handed over to the BSF, and pushed across the border. These individuals, who possessed all necessary citizenship documents, were later brought back to West Bengal after intervention by the state government. Earlier this month, a minor child and their parents were similarly deported from the national capital to the Bangladesh border. In nearly every BJP-ruled state—including Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh--migrant workers from other states live under a shadow of fear.
The latest chapter in this saga is the ongoing hunt in Odisha. Over 400 individuals from various parts of West Bengal who had migrated to neighbouring Odisha for work were detained by police and branded as Bangladeshis. Most of them possessed Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter ID cards issued by the Election Commission. Yet, the fact that they speak Bengali is being used by the Sangh Parivar-led administration as grounds for disqualifying their citizenship. Following strong protests and pressure from West Bengal, around 50 individuals were released after detailed verification of their documents. However, police refused to release two individuals, Rabiyul Sheikh and Mohir Munshi, voters from the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in Bengal, citing a bizarre reason: their phones contained Bangladeshi phone numbers, which were deemed as evidence of their Bangladeshi connections! Bangladesh is India’s immediate neighbour and, barring some recent developments, has been a friendly nation since its formation. It is India's largest trading partner in South Asia too. When the government was overthrown there last August, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina first reached out to her friends in India to ensure refuge. Under which legal provision in India does storing phone numbers from foreign countries, especially neighbouring ones, constitute a crime or incriminating evidence? As Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar pointed out while protesting the unjust actions of Odisha Police, countless Indians, including herself, have relatives and close friends in Bangladesh.
The Sangh Parivar-led governments are not interested in safeguarding national security. What they do in the name of protecting the nation is actually a targeted assault on a specific community, undermining the Constitution and fundamental rights. Before this anti-national epidemic spreading in Odisha infects other states, civil society and the judiciary must intervene with seriousness.