Sambalpur: In yet another incident targeting Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant workers, a 19-year-old labourer from West Bengal was lynched in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Wednesday night. Police have arrested six people in connection with the killing.
The victim, Juyel Rana, was a resident of Chakbahadurpur village under Suti police station in Murshidabad district. Co-workers and family members alleged that he was assaulted after being suspected of being an “illegal Bangladeshi migrant.” Odisha Police, however, denied the attack was linked to such suspicions, stating that the accused and the victim were known to each other.
According to police, the incident occurred late Wednesday evening in the Shantinagar area when Juyel was returning from work. Paltu Sheikh, one of eight construction workers from Murshidabad working in Odisha, told The Indian Express that the group was at a tea stall when some individuals asked Juyel for a bidi. “They then demanded Aadhaar cards and asked where we were from. We showed our Aadhaar cards, but suddenly the group, armed with bamboo sticks, began beating us. Juyel was struck on the head,” he said.
The injured workers rushed Juyel to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Two others, Akiur Rahman and Sanowar Hossain, sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Sambalpur. Paltu Sheikh said he had been working in Odisha for 12 years and had never experienced such violence before.
Sambalpur Additional Superintendent of Police Srimanta Barik said the workers from West Bengal had been living in the area for several years and were familiar to local residents. “The incident began over a demand for a bidi. After the workers refused, a group suddenly attacked them. Six people have been arrested, and we are investigating whether others were involved,” he said.
Back in Chakbahadurpur, the news of Juyel Rana’s death plunged his family into grief. He had arrived in Odisha on December 20 to work as a mason for three months, earning a daily wage of ₹600. Local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including Suti MLA Emani Biswas, visited the family to offer assistance.
The TMC condemned the killing, describing it as part of “a disturbing pattern where Bengali migrant workers are increasingly subjected to suspicion, harassment and violence in BJP-ruled states, simply for their language and identity.” The party criticised the continuing violence despite repeated warnings and questioned how many more lives would be lost before “this inhuman campaign of hate by the BJP” is stopped.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, also chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Labour Welfare Board, accused the BJP of repeatedly targeting Bengali migrant workers in Odisha. “Once again, Bengali-speaking migrant workers have been targeted in a BJP-ruled state. How many lives of innocent Bengali-speaking people does the BJP want?” he said. He urged the Bengal government to raise the matter with the Odisha government and ensure compensation for the victim’s family.
Asif Faruk, state general secretary of the Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch (Migrant Workers Unity Forum), said Bengali migrants were being targeted not only in Odisha but in several other states. Odisha has intensified crackdowns on alleged “illegal migrants” from Bangladesh, during which several Bengali-speaking migrant workers have reportedly been detained or assaulted.
This incident highlights ongoing tensions and safety concerns faced by migrant workers, particularly those from Bengali-speaking communities, in parts of India where anti-migrant sentiment has been reported.