Over 3,000 people blocked NH12 and railway tracks for nearly six hours at Beldanga in Murshidabad district on Friday to protest against the murder of a migrant worker in Jharkhand and the increasing incidents of atrocities against people from the minority-dominated district who work in various states outside Bengal, allegedly after being suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals.

Alauddin Sheikh, 35, a resident of Beldanga, had been working as a hawker in the Bishrampur area of Jharkhand’s Palamu district for the past five years. The migrant worker, who was the father of a three-year-old girl, had returned to his workplace just a few days ago.

Reshma Biwi, wife of Alauddin, claimed that her husband was panicked and did not step out of his rented house, fearing that Hindutva groups were hunting for Muslims to drive them out of the area.

“He was very upset and scared after receiving threats. I last spoke to him yesterday afternoon. After that, I could not contact him as his phone was switched off. This morning, I contacted the owner of his rented house, who informed me that he had been killed by some unknown people and was found hanging from the ceiling of his room,” Reshma said.

After news of Alauddin’s death broke, residents of the Sujapur–Maheshpur area became agitated and began a blockade on NH12 at Maheshpur More under the jurisdiction of the Beldanga police station around 8am. As the one-way road was blocked from both ends, vehicles heading towards Calcutta, as well as those bound for Berhampore, were stranded.

Along with the national highway, the railway line at Maheshpur More was also blocked by the protesters, who placed wooden logs on the tracks. A local train travelling from Lalgola to Ranaghat was stopped midway. Other trains were halted at Sargachhi and Berhampore stations. Trains coming from the opposite direction, from Sealdah, could reach only up to the Beldanga station and could not proceed further.

Thousands of people expressed anger over the alleged torture and killings of migrant workers in different states, while accusing the Bengal government of remaining silent.

One of the protesters, Ibrahim Mondal, said: “Juyel Rana from Suti was beaten to death in Odisha. Several hundred migrant workers from Murshidabad have been assaulted there. So far, no protest has been lodged by the state government. In our state too, there are many people from Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, yet we do not harm anyone. If the government does not take official action, the public will take the law into its own hands.”

A section of protesters chased away and assaulted TV journalist Soma Maity and her cameraperson Ranjit Mahato. Both were hospitalised.

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and urged him to take immediate action against those involved in the murder of the Beldanga migrant worker.

"Soren has assured our leader that there will be no delay in taking action against those responsible," said a Trinamool source.

BJP leaders, including Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar, criticised the Mamata Banerjee government over the incident that took place in Jharkhand, a state governed by a party considered friendly to the Trinamool Congress.

"The National Highway at Beldanga; Murshidabad district, has been completely obstructed by anti social elements for almost 3 hours now. Rampant stone pelting is happening unabated. The trains have been forcefully halted. The area is under the complete dominance of hoodlums, hooligans and goons. No sign of Police action till now. Thousands of passengers are stranded who are petrified and without food and water, with no respite in sight," leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari wrote on his X social media handle.

Since morning, a large contingent of police had been present at the protest site, attempting to normalise the situation. However, the protesters remained adamant, saying they would not withdraw the agitation until the district magistrate arrived and assured proper action.

Murshidabad district magistrate Nitin Singhania reached the blockade site at Maheshpur More after 2pm.

“A task force for migrant workers will be formed. There will be a legal task force to look after legal matters. A 24-hour control room will be opened in Murshidabad district for the benefit of migrant workers. Additionally, one member of the deceased’s family will be provided with a government job within a week, and financial compensation will also be given,” said the DM.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who visited the spot and met the family members, said: “If people of the state face problems in other states, it is the responsibility of the state government to look after them. The Bengal government cannot shirk this responsibility.”

In a separate incident, a migrant worker from Hooghly’s Singur, Sheikh Saidullah, 35, was killed in Uttar Pradesh. As soon as his body reached his Hooghly home, residents raised protest.