New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) Bengali-speaking migrants are being targeted and dubbed as Bangladeshis in certain states despite them having valid documents, Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board Chairman Samirul Islam alleged.
In an interview with PTI, Islam said that while action should be taken against infiltrators, Bengali-speaking people are being detained or even pushed across the border despite the state government verifying their citizenship status.
“Bengali speakers are being targeted in BJP-ruled states in the name of document verification. This is not about religion, whoever is speaking in Bengali is a target,” Islam told PTI.
“They show Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards. Some people have shown their passports and even land documents. Yet, they are being held in detention, and no information is being shared with the West Bengal government,” he said.
Islam said that every time they get report about a case against a Bengali migrant, they conduct a thorough background check, with verification from the local police and the district magistrate concerned.
“Even after we get all the verification done and share it (with authorities concerned), they still do not cooperate with us. This is an anti-Bengali attitude being adopted by the BJP-ruled states,” Islam said.
He said there were cases where West Bengal residents with land documents were being pushed to Bangladesh.
“There was an incident on June 13, when some Bengal residents were pushed to Bangladesh. When we informed the Border Security Force (BSF) that they were Indian citizens, the BSF conducted a flag march and brought back seven people. But on June 26, six others, including a minor and a pregnant woman, were sent to Bangladesh. Those people have land deeds dating back to 1956,” Islam said.
In June, seven migrant workers from West Bengal, who were apprehended on suspicion of being Bangladeshis and subsequently pushed through the Indo-Bangla border, were repatriated after their Indian citizenship was verified.
“A few days ago, some people from Malda (West Bengal), who have land records, were deported to Bangladesh by Rajasthan Police. This is total injustice,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that authorities in some states refuse to accept the evidences provided to them.
“They say ‘please satisfy us’. How can we satisfy you? In Bengal, I am the chairman of the Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board. There are 21,67,000 Bengali migrants who work in different states. At the same time, there are more than 1.5 crore people from other states working in Bengal. You will not be able to pinpoint a single incident where workers from other states are facing a problem in Bengal,” he said.
Stating that Bengalis, who had made significant contribution to the freedom struggle, are now being targeted, he requested the citizens to raise their voices for them.
“I request all the citizens, please support these poor people who are facing atrocities. Stand with them and raise your voice for them,” he said.
Asked about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which is currently being undertaken in Bihar and is to be conducted in West Bengal before the assembly polls next year, the TMC MP said, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not allow the SIR to happen in West Bengal.” He said that while action should be taken against “infiltrators”, genuine Indian citizens should not harassed.
“If there is an infiltration, if there is a Bangladeshi, action should be taken. We have no issues with that. The BSF is responsible for it,” he said, adding, “But if there is a doubt on anyone, they should at least check with the West Bengal government. That is not being done,” he said.
“If you don’t share data, or verify anything, our unity in diversity would be destroyed,” he said.
Islam added that TMC MPs are trying to raise the issue in Parliament through different means.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged that Bengali-speaking workers are being harassed, detained and even pushed to Bangladesh by authorities in certain BJP-ruled states. She had dubbed the incidents as acts of “linguistic terror”. Earlier this month, Banerjee had led a protest march against such harassment. PTI AO RUK RUK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.