Bhubaneswar: Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar Mahua Moitra on Friday again targeted the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha over the detention of migrant workers from West Bengal, terming it ‘extremely unconstitutional and illegal’.
This came even as Odisha released 302 of 444 migrant workers, rounded up and detained in holding shelters in Jharsuguda district on suspicion of being Bangladeshis and Rohingyas since Monday.
Mahua, however, alleged that two more workers from her constituency in Nadia district are still being held only because their phones had Bangladeshi contact numbers. “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!” she posted on X along with a video message.
She mentioned her personal ties to Bangladesh to drive the point home. “I as an MP have family members and close friends with whom I have gone to college with in Bangladesh, whose numbers are all stored on my phone. If storing a phone number of someone in Bangladesh is a crime in this country then I suggest the BJP amend the laws in Parliament to make this a crime,” she said.
The TMC MP further alleged that Odisha Chief Secretary, DGP and Jharsuguda SP have stopped taking calls from Nadia SP. “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,” she added.
She then urged (only because of lack of proper word) the Odisha authorities to release the two workers without further delay. “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 we will rally to court and this will not have an easy end,” she added.
Robiul Sheikh & Mohir Munshi with verified documents still being detained illegally by Odisha only because of a Bangladeshi phone number on their phones! All BCCI members should be detained by the same logic! @SecyChief @DGPOdisha @himanshulalips @Naveen_Odisha pic.twitter.com/z2Hyf4Mj9Q
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 11, 2025
HC SEEKS ANSWERS
On Thursday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, raised several critical questions: Why have the Bengali migrant workers been detained? On what basis? Has any FIR been filed? What actions have been taken following their detention? And where are the workers currently being held?
It directed West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to promptly obtain a response from the Odisha government and ensure swift action. The matter will next be heard on Monday.
The West Bengal government has said that the detained people hail from various districts of West Bengal, including Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, and Purba Medinipur.
FAKE DOCUMENTS CLAIM
Amid the court directive, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday claimed that 335 of the 444 people held in Jharsuguda district were found possessing fake Indian documents. “We found that 335 of the 444 people held for verification on suspicion of being Bangladeshis were possessing fake Indian documents. They all have Aadhar card, voter card and other documents showing them as residents of West Bengal,” he said, adding that there is a conspiracy to push illegal Bangladeshis into Odisha from the adjoining state.
Pujari further stated that Odisha has decided to hand them over to the district collectors of their respective places to which they claim to belong in West Bengal. “Let the West Bengal government take whatever action they want to,” he said.
The Minister also asserted that the BJP government in Odisha would not allow the state to become a haven for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
Earlier, police detained four members of a Bangladeshi family in Paradip town. They confessed to having crossed over to West Bengal, before coming to the port town.
In March, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the state Assembly that Odisha has 3,740 undocumented migrants from Bangladesh, with the highest numbers in Kendrapada (1,649), Jagatsinghpur (1,112), Malkangiri (655), Bhadrak (199), Nabarangpur (106), and Bhubaneswar (17).
The illegal immigrants come from the sea route and settle in coastal districts such as Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore, according to official sources.
THE CENTRE’S DIRECTIVE
Notably, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all states and Union Territories to form Special Task Forces (STFs) in every district, led by the Superintendent of Police or Deputy Commissioner of Police, to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers. States and UTs are also instructed to set up sufficient holding centres in each district to detain these illegal immigrants.
Accordingly, the Odisha government has ramped up efforts to detect foreign nationals residing illegally in the state.