Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday once again targeted the Odisha government over the detention of migrant workers from West Bengal, alleging that two of them were still being held only because their phones had Bangladeshi contact numbers.
More than 400 migrants from various districts of West Bengal have been detained in Odisha since Monday night on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. While around 50 have been released so far, Moitra said two—Rabiul Sheikh and Mohir Munshi—continue to be held despite having valid identity documents.
“Rabiul Sheikh and Mohir Munshi, with verified documents, are still being detained illegally by Odisha only because of a Bangladeshi phone number on their phones! All BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) members should be detained by the same logic!” Moitra wrote on X.
In a video message accompanying the post, the Krishnanagar MP said, “I just want to bring to everyone’s attention the extremely unconstitutional and illegal activity being carried out by BJP state governments like Odisha in the name of protecting national security.”
She alleged that all the detained migrants were picked up “illegally” and later released after verification of documents that her office had submitted “on the first day itself.”
“But two migrants—Rabiul Sheikh and Mohir Munshi—have still not been released. The documents are okay, everything is okay. They are being held just because they had a Bangladeshi number saved on their phones,” she said.
“I would like to inform the honourable Chief Minister of Odisha, the Chief Secretary, the DGP, and the SP of Jharsuguda—who has now even stopped taking calls from the SP of Nadia. One IPS officer is not picking up another IPS officer’s phone,” Moitra added.
Referring to her personal connections in Bangladesh, she said: “I have family members and close friends in Bangladesh whose numbers are saved on my phone. If saving someone’s number from Bangladesh is a crime in this country, then I suggest the BJP amend the laws in Parliament to make it one.”
She urged Odisha authorities to release the two workers immediately. “What you are doing is illegal. We will take you to court. You were rapped by the Calcutta High Court yesterday. You will have to pay a heavy price because this will not end easily.”
On Thursday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court—comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra—directed West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to coordinate with his Odisha counterpart Manoj Ahuja regarding the detentions.
The incident follows similar detentions of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh in recent weeks.
On June 14, seven people from West Bengal—including four from Murshidabad, one from Purba Bardhaman, and a couple from North 24 Parganas—were reportedly detained in Mumbai, declared Bangladeshi nationals, and pushed across the border by the BSF at 3.30 am. They were later brought back to Bengal after state government intervention.
In a video message posted Wednesday on her X handle, Moitra had previously said, “Twenty-three migrant workers from my Lok Sabha constituency, Mirzapur village in Panighata GP in Nadia district, are facing illegal detention at Orient police station in Jharsuguda. They are among 440 workers being held under the pretext of a documentation drive. All 23 have valid Aadhaar and EPIC cards.”