TMC MP Samirul Islam writes to Home Minister alleging Bengali-speaking migrants being targeted

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam has written to Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that Bengali-speaking migrants are being targeted in different parts of the country despite possessing valid identification documents, and asked him to direct all states to ensure their safety, dignity and constitutional rights.

The TMC leader said that as the chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, he has received "numerous disturbing reports of legitimate Indian citizens from West Bengal being wrongfully detained, assaulted, and harassed".

Islam's letter came in the backdrop of a crackdown on Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in several states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Odisha.

The TMC leader said thorough verification procedures should be followed before initiating any action against individuals claiming origin from West Bengal and also urged Shah to make it mandatory to have coordination with the West Bengal government in cases where any Bengali-speaking person is found to be in distress.

Ilam said he was writing out of "grave concern and a deep sense of urgency regarding the growing incidents of violence, discrimination, and harassment faced by Bengali-speaking migrant workers, particularly in the states of Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Odisha."

"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," he alleged.

The TMC MP said several cases involve residents from various districts of West Bengal being detained in Gujarat, despite presenting multiple valid forms of identification.

"Even more alarming are reports of entire Bengali-speaking settlements being targeted and set ablaze, resulting in the destruction of vital documents and the forced displacement of families," he alleged.

Islam said 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.

"This disparity raises a critical question: Why should poor, hardworking citizens from Bengal, seeking livelihoods in other states, be brutalised merely for speaking their mother tongue?" he said.

"It is a grave contradiction that, even after Bengali was accorded classical language status by the Union Government, its speakers are now being criminalised for using it," he said.

The TMC leader urged the Home Minister to direct all state governments to ensure the safety, dignity, and constitutional rights of Bengali-speaking citizens.

In Gujarat's Ahmedabad, civic authorities and police on April 29 launched a mega demolition drive in the Chandola Lake area after alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were detained from the settlements.