‘Bangladeshi slur’: Mob in Odisha assaults vendor from Keshpur
Times of India | 29 December 2025
Midnapore: A 35-year-old man, Arshad Mallik, from Gopinathbati in West Midnapore's Keshpur was assaulted by a mob who accused him of being an illegal Bangladeshi migrant near Charampa station in Odisha's Bhadrak. The incident happened on Dec 26. Police in Odisha managed to rescue him. With help from Bengal minister Seuli Saha and West Midnapore police, he was brought home on Saturday.
Police said Mallik worked as a street vendor and had rented a house in Odisha's Kendrapara area around five years ago. At around 8 am on Friday, Mallik was heading to Bhadrak with goods loaded onto his bike, when a group of youths attacked him.
"They were saying, ‘Why are you attacking Hindus in Bangladesh?' I couldn't convince them that I am from Bengal," Mallik said. He was tied up and subjected to brutal abuse. A video of the incident went viral on social media. After he was rescued by cops, he contacted his family from the police station, who then reached out to Saha. Saha said, "On receiving information, I contacted Nabanna. Our district police and administration acted swiftly."