Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over allegations that several Bengali migrant workers living in Odisha have been assaulted in the neighbouring state, sources at the state administrative headquarters Nabanna said. According to the sources, the Odisha chief minister assured Miss Banerjee that such incidents would not be repeated in the future. There have been allegations that several Bengali migrant workers living in Odisha have been assaulted.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the issue and rang up Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. According to these sources, the Odisha Chief Minister assured over the phone that such incidents would not be repeated in the future and steps would be taken to prevent such incidents. It has also been learned that Mamata Banerjee, through the Odisha government, has invited these migrant workers to return to West Bengal and work here instead. This came after a video was widely circulated showing a a person assaulting a vendor selling miscellaneous goods on a bicycle. The vendor was asked to show his Aadhaar card, and when he failed to produce it, he was beaten. However, the authenticity of this video has not been verified by The Statesman.
According to sources from Nabanna, amid the unrest in Bangladesh, several Bengali migrant workers living in Odisha have been harassed. There have also been allegations that they are being beaten on suspicion of being Bangladeshi. It may be mentioned that earlier at least 20 migrant workers from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, who were branded as Bangladeshis and allegedly beaten up in Odisha were rescued and brought back to the state. On 19 March this year, a week after CAA [Citizenship (Amendment) Act] rules were notified, around 20 migrant workers from Murshidabad were attacked by a group of people at Bhadrak in Odisha. The workers were tied up, branded as Bangladeshis and beaten up.