Labelled ‘B’deshis’ and assaulted, 4 Purulia workers return from Chhattisgarh
Times of India | 7 January 2026
Purulia: Four out of eight migrant workers from Purulia, who were allegedly assaulted by members of the Bajrang Dal in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, returned to Purulia on Tuesday. Four others, who are minors, will return soon, Purulia police said on Tuesday.
According to locals, Sheikh Jasim of Chepri village in Purulia worked at a bread factory in Chhattisgarh's Raipur district. A month back, Jasim's brother, Sheikh Alam, along with Sheikh Babi aka Shariful, Sheikh Zulfikar, and Sheikh Sahil of Chepri, Sheikh Minal and Sheikh Ismail of Bhursu village, and Arbaz Qazi of Tentlo village, also joined the same factory. On Sunday afternoon, they had a dispute with the factory authorities over wages. Later, nearly 50 alleged Bajrang Dal members reached the factory, labelled the group as Bangladeshis, and beat them up with sticks.
Police from Raipur district's Kotwali PS rescued them and informed the Purulia district police. After being sent documents, four workers were allowed to return, while four minors were sent to a local home.
On Monday, Jasim, Alam, Shariful, and Zulfikar boarded a bus to return to their home in Chepri. They were visibly distraught upon their arrival on Tuesday.
Purulia Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Tiwari said, "We sent each individual's documents to the concerned police station after we came to know about the incident. None of them has any criminal records. Four workers have returned, and discussions are ongoing to bring the others home."