Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed concern over the attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat and termed the problem a “very dangerous trend”.

The Trinamul Congress chief held the BJP government in Gujarat responsible for the situation.

“I am scared and frightened. This is a very dangerous trend. I don’t understand why the state government is not trying to control it,” Mamata told reporters at Nabanna, the state secretariat, in response to a specific question on the Gujarat violence.

The chief minister said it appeared there was provocation behind the attacks.

“But it is the state government’s duty to protect people who are scared and fleeing the state. So many people from other states have been living in Gujarat for years and they consider it to be their home. But they are frightened now,” Mamata said.

People from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been facing attacks in Gujarat for the past few days after a 14-month-old child was allegedly raped by a migrant worker from Bihar on September 28 in Sabarkantha district.

The violence has triggered an exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat, with the state’s chief minister appealing to them to return and assuring them of security.

Around 350 people have been arrested in six districts in Gujarat in connection with the attacks on migrant workers. But the situation is yet to be brought under control completely.

Sources said Mamata was prompt to react to the Gujarat attacks as Bengal, particularly Calcutta, had a large number of migrant workers from Bihar.

“She wanted to assure the migrant workers in Bengal…. The BJP seems to have created an impact among Hindi-speaking people in Bengal. By holding the BJP responsible for the problem in Gujarat, the chief minister wants to send a message to this section,” a source said.