3 migrants detained in Assam released after Bengal's government intervention, claims TMC MP

Kolkata: Three migrant workers from West Bengal's Murshidabad district, who were allegedly detained by the Assam Police on suspicion of being Bangladeshis, were released after the intervention of the Mamata Banerjee government, a TMC MP claimed on Monday.

The three were freed on Sunday night, said TMC MP Samirul Islam, who is also the chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board.

"The three workers were taken into custody on suspicion of being Bangladeshis and sent to a detention camp in Assam. After our prompt intervention, they were released," the TMC MP told PTI.

He also claimed, "Even Rs 1.5 lakh that was illegally extracted from them was returned."

According to Islam, two of them hail from Shaktipur and one from Beldanga in Murshidabad.

"They had travelled to Nagaon on August 22 and began hawking, but were picked up by the police at Haibargaon after policemen overheard them speaking in Bengali.

"Migrant workers of Bengal have been facing numerous cases. They have been detained, tortured and extorted in BJP-ruled states. Our government has taken a strong stand to act swiftly whenever such incidents are reported,” the Rajya Sabha MP alleged.

In a post on X, Islam claimed that Golam Mondal, a migrant worker from North 24 Parganas' Habra, died in the BJP-ruled Maharashtra due to "inhumane torture by police during an illegal detention".