Bhubaneswar: Odisha has released 101 more migrant workers detained at holding centres in Jharsuguda district on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas.
While 447 suspected illegal settlers were rounded up by police since Monday, 302 were earlier released after it was ascertained that they were Indian citizens. Police verified their identity using at least two documents, such as birth certificates, voter IDs, or land pattas.
In total, 403 of those detained have been allowed to return to their workplaces over the past three days.
The remaining 44 workers are under scrutiny since documentary proof of Indian nationality have been found to be unsatisfactory, said a senior police officer.
The detentions has led to a political slugfest between the governments of Odisha and Bengal with the Trinamool Congres accusing the state of targeting Bengali-speaking migrants from Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum, Purba Bardhaman and South 24 Parganas districts.
While BJP leader Amit Malviya claimed that 335 of those detained in Odisha had fake documents and accused the TMC of “flooding India with Bangladeshi infiltrators—who work in other states but return to Bengal just to vote for Mamata Banerjee”, Trinamool MP Samirul Islam, who chairs the state migrant workers’ welfare board, questioned why the Odisha government released most detainees if they were indeed Bangladeshis. “After the Calcutta High Court’s order, the BJP-ruled Odisha government released most of the Bengali-speaking migrant workers from its custody,” he said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari had clarified that though 335 individuals were found possessing fake Indian documents, Odisha 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.
On Friday, TMC MP from Krishnanagar Mahua Moitra also warned the Mohan Majhi government of legal action if two more migrant workers from her constituency in Nadia district, who she claimed were being held only because their phones had Bangladeshi contact numbers, are not released immediately.
Also Read: ‘Have To Pay Heavy Price’: Mahua Moitra Warns Odisha Govt Again, Questions Logic Behind Detentions
The Calcutta High Court was later informed that two persons were released after it asked the Odisha government to furnish their details “We have received information from the person concerned that detainees have been released from Odisha after the matter was filed in the HC. They have come back to their homes. But it needs to be determined whether such detentions are legal,” Raghunath Chakraborty, the lawyer representing these two migrant workers, told the HC.
Earlier, IG (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal had asserted the procedure is not about targeting any community or region but about upholding the rule of law and ensuring the security of the nation. The individuals under scrutiny lack valid documentation to establish their residency or citizenship, necessitating a thorough verification process to ascertain their identity, he further stated, adding that they are being held in designated facilities with access to adequate food, water, hygiene, and medical care, in line with humanitarian standards.