A delegation of Bengal Congress led by former MP and party veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met migrant workers from Bengal at Panipat in Haryana on Wednesday and assured them of all help.

Over the past few weeks, many migrants from Bengal, who work in various industrial units at Panipat and some neighbouring locations of the BJP-ruled Haryana, have suffered detention and alleged police torture on suspicion that they are Bangladeshis.

At least three workers have returned to their homes in North Dinajpur with broken legs "from police torture". All have said that the police beat them up mercilessly to extract the confession from them that they were Bangladeshi infiltrators and not Indian citizens.

Imran Ali Ramz, a former Congress MLA, had reached Panipat last week to meet and stand by the migrant workers.

Former PCC president Chowdhury reached Panipat on Wednesday. Accompanied by Ramz and some Haryana Congress leaders, he met Bengal's migrant workers at Panipat's three locations — Krishna Garden, Flora Chowk and Sandhyapur.

Thousands of migrant workers from various districts of Bengal were present at each of these meetings.

“We condemn the torture unleashed by the Haryana police on the migrant workers of Bengal in the pretext of verification of their documents. That is why we have come here to stand by them. The economy of this region is largely dependent on these migrant workers, and yet, they are facing such atrocities,” said Chowdhury.

He said that the Congress wanted a permanent solution to the problem.

“That is why we have brought local leaders, representatives of our party’s legal cell and owners of different industrial units where these workers are engaged, to the meeting. They will extend all possible help to workers if any of them face police harassment,” he added.

The Congress leader, known for his testy relations with India constituent Trinamool, also took a dig at Bengal's ruling party and its supremo. He said that although chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders were elaborately speaking about the crisis faced by Bengal's migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, the state government ha not sent a single delegation to Panipat to help these workers.

“Trinamool is indulging in politics to garner votes. Not a single MP of the party has raised the issue in Parliament so far. I will approach Congress MPs so that the issue is raised in both the Houses (of Parliament),” Chowdhury added.

Ramz said that a leader has been chosen in every Panipat locality where Bengal's migrants stay.

“In case any worker faces any problem, the leader will inform us and our party leaders. The Congress will extend legal help to such affected workers,” he said.

On Thursday, a Congress delegation will meet the superintendent of police of Panipat and seek intervention to check such atrocities by the police on the migrant workers, said Imran.