Stop Harassment of Bengali Migrant Labourers

The reports form various states, most of them ruled by the BJP and their allies, are deeply concerning because the poor migrant labourers from Bengal are being harassed by the police and other authorities despite that fact that they are genuine Indian citizens who have a Constitutional right to travel and work in any other parts of the country.

According to media reports and official statements from the West Bengal Government in recent days, incidents of harassment and arrest of Bengali migrants — most of them daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers and domestic workers — have come form states like Assam, Odisha, Bihar and Maharashtra, which are all states administered by the BJP and their allies. It shows that there is a pattern to these incidents and these Bengali workers are being targeted because most of them are poor Muslims who have to look for work in other parts of India. Despite showing proof of their Indian citizenship like Aadhar cards and other official documents, the police in these states deliberately harass them and even arrest them, accusing them of being Bangladeshi illegal migrants, for the reason that they speak Bengali language.

In a recent letter to the Odisha Chief Secretary, the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had referred to these unfortunate incidents which highlight the severe nature of harassment they face in their work places. He said they are being targeted for attacks for they speak “Bengali, which is their mother tongue.” He also said that in many cases they were wrongfully accused of being illegal Bangladeshis in India only on the ground of their common language. In addition to the Chief Secretary taking up the cases with other states, the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had even taken out a march in Kolkata protesting against the attacks on Bengali migrant workers elsewhere in the country.

This is an unfortunate situation. The Bengali workers are forced to move out of their villages because of their poverty and lack of employment opportunities in their home state. They are undertaking mostly the menial jobs that the workers in many states refuse to take up, either because of poor wages or status concerns. Hence they are carrying out a necessary and important economic activity that enriches the economy of the host states as well as contributes to the economy of the nation. The BJP and its allies are actually putting hurdles before our economic growth by their narrow parochialism and communal approaches to migrant labourers.

The SDPI calls upon the Central and State Governments to take urgent steps to put an end to this harmful and discriminatory practice of harassment of migrant workers in any part of India. It is also to be remembered that such patently illegal activities on the part of the police and ruling political parties would cause grave damage to our national unity and communal peace.