Should the Odisha Government Release Bengali Workers Immediately?

Bhubaneswar, July 9 (NationPress) - Mahua Moitra, a prominent leader from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Lok Sabha MP, strongly criticized the Odisha government on Wednesday. She is calling for the urgent release of 23 workers from Mirzapur village in Nadia district, who have reportedly been held at detention centers in Jharsuguda for citizenship verification since Monday night.

A total of around 448 individuals, believed to be Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals, have been identified and transferred to holding centers in both Jharsuguda and Jagatsinghpur districts of the state.

In a video message, Moitra, representing Krishnanagar in West Bengal, claimed that the 23 workers from her constituency are being unlawfully detained in an interrogation center near the Orient police station in Jharsuguda District.

She noted that out of 440 Bengali workers being held, 23 are from her area. Furthermore, she mentioned that the Superintendent of Police in Nadia district was informed by the Jharsuguda SP that the workers are part of a documentation drive.

“All of these 23 workers possess valid documentation, including Aadhaar cards and EPIC cards, which are necessary for their employment. India is a union of states, and every citizen has the right to life, livelihood, and the freedom to work anywhere within the country. Please don’t assume that no one will fight for these workers. There is absolutely no justification for their detention,” declared Moitra.

The MP emphasized that these workers have provided the necessary documents and should be released without delay.

“If not, we will initiate 23 habeas corpus petitions in every court across the nation,” warned Moitra.

She added that such situations were rare during the 24-year tenure of the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, but have become commonplace since the BJP took power in Odisha.

“I urge the Odisha government to consider this: it’s easy to exploit, intimidate, and harass poor workers seeking a livelihood. Have you ever realized that 50% of Odisha's tourism revenue is generated from Bengal? If you continue to harass and detain our workers, Bengali tourists will stop visiting Odisha. They are the ones who stay in your hotels, dine at your restaurants, and visit your pilgrimage sites. What will be the outcome?” Moitra warned.

She pointed out that 1.3 crore migrant workers from various states currently residing in West Bengal are living in harmony.

However, a senior Jharsuguda Police official refuted the claims of detaining the Bengali workers. The official clarified that a special drive is being conducted by the Special Task Force of Jharsuguda Police under directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the suspected workers brought in for citizenship verification.

“Once their citizenship is verified, they are released. Citizenship verification is a complicated process,” stated the senior police officer.