New Delhi – Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has lashed out at the Chhattisgarh police for detaining nine Bengali Muslim migrant labourers from her Krishnanagar constituency, terming the act a “state-sponsored kidnapping.”, reported the Hindu.
According to Moitra, the workers were picked up by Kondagaon police on July 12 from a private school construction site in Albedapada, located in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The authorities allegedly acted under Section 128 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), a clause that permits seeking security for good behavior from individuals suspected of being threats to public peace.
However, Moitra refuted the claims, stating that all nine workers had valid documents and were employed under a contractor. She accused the police of detaining them without informing the West Bengal government or the victims’ families, denying them access to legal aid or even a phone call.
“They were taken while resting at the construction site. Since then, their phones have remained switched off, leaving their families in anguish,” Moitra said in a statement.
Family members reported that the men had been lodged in Jagdalpur jail in the neighboring Bastar district. Following legal pressure and a habeas corpus petition filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court, the workers were reportedly released on Monday evening after intervention by the district administration.
Verification reports from the Additional SP (Rural), Betal, and Krishnanagar Police confirmed that the labourers are Indian citizens from Mathurapur and Laxmipur villages in Nadia district, West Bengal.
Moitra’s sharp criticism comes amid increasing concern over the alleged targeting of Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant workers in several BJP-ruled states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, where workers have reportedly faced arbitrary detention despite holding proper documents.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also spoken out in the past, accusing the BJP of portraying Bengali workers as “infiltrators” as part of a politically motivated campaign.
The incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of internal migrant workers in India and raised questions about police overreach and communal profiling.
