17 West Bengal workers detained in Odisha on TMC support
Bhubaneshwar: Ahead of West Bengal polling, Indian police have detained 17 West Bengal workers in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state Odisha.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the detention of 17 migrant workers along with their families from West Bengal in Odisha on suspicion of being foreign nationals by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration, on the basis of language and identity has erupted a political controversy .
According to reports, the workers, all residents of Harishchandrapur in West Bengal, were working in Odisha and were preparing to return home to cast their votes in the upcoming assembly elections. However, before they could leave, they were taken into custody by the police.
Family members said that the workers were suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals mainly because they were speaking Bengali. One relative said, “They were only speaking their mother tongue. That cannot be a reason to treat them like outsiders.”
The incident has triggered a sharp reaction from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting migrant workers for political reasons.
A TMC leader said, “These are Indian citizens. Stopping them from returning home to vote is a serious matter.”
The issue has also intensified political tension in West Bengal, especially in the Harishchandrapur constituency, where elections are approaching.
The incident has raised broader questions on the BJP government about identity, language and the rights of migrant workers, with many calling for a fair and transparent investigation into the matter.
The locals said that it was deliberately done by the BJP government to stop West Bengal voters, who are mostly supporters of Trinamool Congress (TMC).
