Bengali worker 'attacked' at Tatanagar railway station

Kolkata: In yet another incident, a migrant worker from Sandeshkhali in West Bengal was allegedly attacked at Tatanagar railway station in Jharkhand. This comes at a time when the Calcutta High Court is hearing the case of six Bengali-speaking migrants -- Sunali Khatun and five others -- who were allegedly deported from Delhi to Bangladesh and are currently lodged in a jail in the neighbouring country.

The injured migrant worker has been admitted to the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.

Marufa Bibi, the injured worker’s wife, said: “My husband had gone for work along with others. He was stabbed for speaking in Bengali and was seriously injured. They have to go to other states as there is no work here. By God’s grace, he is alive. What would have happened to our family otherwise?”


The Sandeshkhali resident, 27-year-old Tapchhel Jamadar, along with other youths from the Boyramari locality, had reached Tatanagar railway station and were conversing in Bengali when they were allegedly attacked with sharp weapons. They were branded “Bangladeshis” for speaking in Bengali. Tapchhel sustained severe injuries in the assault.

A construction worker, Tapchhel had been employed in Odisha for the past few years before travelling to Tatanagar for a new project.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board chairman Samirul Islam on Monday visited the families of the detained migrants in Murarai village, Birbhum. He met the father of the pregnant Sunali Khatun and the mother of Sweaty Biwi—both of whom are imprisoned in Bangladesh’s Chapai Nawabganj jail after being deported.

“Today, I visited the father of Sunali Khatun at their remote home in Murarai, Birbhum. About two months ago, their daughters—both bona fide Indian citizens—were illegally pushed back to Bangladesh. Though their families have lived in Birbhum for generations, the women were expelled along with their children,” Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam said.

“Under the leadership of our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, we are fighting this case in the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court of India. I assured the family that we will bring their daughters back home and that they will be enrolled under the Shramshree scheme launched by Mamata Banerjee. The BJP must be held accountable for the suffering caused by this unlawful action,” Islam posted on X. Sunali’s daughter is currently with her grandparents, while her minor son was deported along with her.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states to return to West Bengal and announced the “Shramshree” scheme, which offers Rs 5,000 to migrant workers. Those returning will also receive Khadya Sathi ration cards, Swasthya Sathi health cards, and guaranteed school admission for their children. A resolution was recently passed in the Bengal Assembly condemning atrocities against Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states.