A Bengali-speaking migrant worker from Murshidabad district was assaulted by a group of people at Silchar in Assam last Sunday after allegedly being labelled a Bangladeshi intruder, prompting him and nine others from his village to decide to leave for their homes.
Trinamool Congress has reacted, alleging that migrant workers from Bengal are regularly being tortured in the BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being Bangladeshis.
Sushmita Dev, a Rajya Sabha member of Trinamool from Assam, has also written to police, alleging that suspected Bajrang Dal supporters were behind the attack.
Rinku Sheikh, 30, of Nurpur village under the Suti police station of Murshidabad district, had been staying in the Chamragudam area of Silchar for almost 10 years and earning a living by hawking goods.
“I stay with nine others from my village in a rented accommodation. I have a moped which I use to hawk various plastic items,” he said over the phone on Wednesday.
Last Sunday, while he was moving on his moped through the Radhamadhav Road Point of Silchar, a group of four to five youths intercepted him.
“They claimed they grabbed a Bangladeshi and started beating me up. I told them I am from Murshidabad and furnished my voter and Aadhaar cards to them. They alleged that those were forged,” said Rinku, adding that his attackers made some phone calls and some more persons joined them. “Then they rained blows on me and kicked me. Soon, I collapsed on the ground,” he added.
"The attackers paused and started talking among themselves," he said. "I managed to get up and run. I ran to a nearby police outpost and narrated my ordeal. The police personnel there asked me to sit."
From there, he called some of his acquaintances who came for his help. Later, he filed a complaint at the Rangirkhari police outpost in Silchar. His moped and plastic wares were recovered from the spot eventually.
“I have never faced such a situation before. Despite showing them my documents, they insisted I am a Bangladeshi infiltrator,” he said.
As his friends learnt about the attack, they decided to return home in Murshidabad.
The information reached Trinamool, with Dev reaching out to help. “She sent some people for our assistance, who helped me get accommodation. They gave me and my fellow villager Marfat Ali flight tickets. We will fly to Calcutta tomorrow (Thursday),” said Rinku.
The other villagers, he said, would take a train from Silchar to reach home.
“They are all panicky after I was attacked. We don’t know whether we will return here,” said the youth.
On Tuesday, Dev wrote to the senior superintendent of police of Cachar, Silchar, about the attack on Sheikh.
Samirul Islam, another Trinamool Rajya Sabha member, said that this was yet another instance where a Bengali-speaking migrant faced an attack.
“Such attacks, torture, and even police detentions are indiscriminately happening in BJP-ruled states. We have helped Rinku Sheikh. Silchar police should take prompt steps,” said Islam.
Additional reporting by our Cooch Behar correspondent