Govt helpline, party task forces, revamped migrant cells: Bengal steps up migrant distress response

Kolkata: With reports of Bengali-speaking migrant workers allegedly being detained and harassed in several Indian states triggering outrage, the West Bengal government and the ruling TMC have launched a multi-layered initiative to tackle the crisis with a blend of administrative urgency and political outreach.

In what officials and TMC leaders call a "coordinated and calibrated" approach, the government has rolled out a WhatsApp-only helpline, reactivated district-level migrant welfare cells, and empowered grassroots-level TMC task forces across migration-prone districts to serve as first responders and grievance redressal units.

"The approach is two-pronged. On one hand, the government has launched helplines and activated its administrative machinery to contact officials in other states, while on the other, the party has established multi-layered coordination teams, ranging from the grassroots to the district levels. Our workers are constantly in touch with families of migrants, especially in high migration zones," senior TMC leader and state minister Manas Bhunia told PTI.

The initiative follows incidents of Bengali workers reportedly having faced profiling, detention or forced deportation in recent weeks in states such as Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh.

The WhatsApp helpline, launched by the West Bengal Police on Friday, enables families of distressed migrants to send text-based complaints containing the victim's name, work location, and nature of the problem.

"In many cases, families don't even know where to report or whom to approach. This helpline allows verified reporting, based on which we can contact the state authorities concerned," a senior police officer said.

The state police have urged citizens to widely share the helpline number via social media, terming it a vital tool for timely intervention.

Alongside administrative measures, the TMC has mobilised its party network across Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Birbhum, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts, which have high migration rates. Every municipal ward, gram panchayat, and block has been instructed to create migrant tracking cells, run by local party workers, to maintain real-time registers of outbound migrants.

These grassroots units function under the supervision of area leaders, elected panchayat members, and MLAs. Each task force typically includes a ward-level party member, a panchayat representative, and a TMC youth volunteer. Upon receiving a complaint, they verify details and coordinate with local police and block offices.

"These help desks are often the first point of contact for desperate families. They assist in documentation, alert the administration, and sometimes even arrange transport for the complainants," said a senior TMC functionary from Malda.

To reinforce field-level efforts, district migrant worker coordination teams have also been formed, comprising BDOs, MLAs, municipal councillors, panchayat officials, and representatives from the district migrant board and labour department.

"These teams meet regularly to review grievances from local helpdesks and escalate unresolved cases to the state level," said a senior TMC leader from Murshidabad.

One of the more effective district-level interventions has emerged in Uttar Dinajpur's Itahar, where TMC MLA Mosaraf Hussen has opened a full-time helpdesk near the Pater Sathi bus stand to assist families whose members have been detained in Haryana.

"We are helping families get the right residential and clearance certificates. These are often required to prove Indian citizenship in other states. I am issuing some of those directly from my MLA quota after due verification," Hussen told PTI.

The desk, manned by volunteers, has already intervened in multiple cases, including two alleged custodial detentions in Gurugram.

The West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board is also revamping district migrant cells, many of which were not so active in recent years, with new staffing and direct coordination lines to district magistrates.

The board is mapping major Bengali migrant clusters across India and aligning the data with inputs from local panchayats and party committees.

Rajya Sabha MP and board chairman Samirul Islam, who is overseeing the restructuring, stated that the narrative that people are fleeing West Bengal due to a lack of jobs is misleading.

"There are nearly 1.5 crore migrants from other states working in West Bengal, while only about 22.5 lakh Bengali workers are working outside.... We are pushing for employment opportunities in high-migration zones through various initiatives," Islam told PTI.

While TMC leaders assert that the response is driven by humanitarian concerns, many acknowledge its political resonance ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

TMC spokesperson Krishanu Mitra said, "We are fighting this injustice at every level in Parliament, in the courts, and on the streets. If anyone dares to strip a Bengali of his or her dignity, we will respond with every democratic tool at our disposal."

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has, on the other hand, launched a parallel campaign, asking citizens to share details of alleged Rohingya or Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators. He claimed 1.25 crore illegal immigrants have been added to the state's electoral rolls.

"If the TMC is seen as the party that stands by its people even when they are in other states, it could reap rich dividends," political analyst Subhomoy Moitra said.