Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, detained at least 34 individuals at a construction site in Sambalpur district on Saturday. The detainees, who were accused of being Bangladeshi nationals, were later confirmed to be from Murshidabad in West Bengal. They had been working at the site in Budharaja for several months.
The BJYM members, using derogatory language, labeled the workers as “Bangladeshi infiltrators.” The issue came to light when the detainees were handed over to the police, who subsequently released them after verifying their identities. The Ainthapali police confirmed that the detainees were indeed from West Bengal and not from Bangladesh.
This is not the first time, the right-wing groups have attacked the minority group. This has increasingly focused on Bengali-speaking Muslims. Recent social media posts have surfaced showing attacks on Bengali-speaking Muslims in Odisha, exacerbating concerns about ethnic and religious discrimination.
In response to these incidents, the Bengal Migrant Welfare Board has established a helpline (18001030009) for those affected by such attacks. Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, who heads the board, has urged individuals facing discrimination to seek assistance through this new helpline.
