4 men from Murshidabad ‘beaten' up in Tamil Nadu for ‘speaking in Bangla'
According to the complaint, lodged on July 17, Sujan Sheikh, his brother Milan Sheikh, Sahil Sheikh, and Babu Sheikh had travelled to Chennai three weeks ago for construction work.
On the evening of July 15, they were in Thiruvallur when a group of people asked their names and where they were from. 'After hearing us speaking in Bangla, they started beating us with iron rods and lathis, suspecting us to be from Bangladesh,' read the complaint lodged by Sujan's father.
The four immediately returned to Murshidabad after getting primary treatment at a government medical college in Thiruvallur.
'They beat my two sons and two others only because they spoke in Bangla. They thought they were illegal Bangladeshis. My younger son's left hand was broken. After he arrived here, he underwent surgery. He is still admitted at the nursing home. My elder son is also injured. They will be on bed rest for several weeks,' Ashabul Sheikh, Sujan and Milan's father, told The Indian Express over the phone from Murshidabad.
Milan said, 'Locals beat us up after questioning our language. We were very scared. We did not even get our wages for 11 days of work. This was the first time we had gone to Chennai for work. I had to ask my father to send Rs 12,000 to get back home.'
Kolkata: TMC MLA from Itahar in Uttar Dinajpur has opened a helpdesk at Pater Sathi bus stand in his constituency to help the families of migrant workers who have been allegedly detained in other states.
'A large number of migrant workers from my area are being detained in Haryana. So we have opened a helpdesk. We are helping and guiding the families regarding the documents they need to show for residential proof. After verifying the documents, I am giving them residential certificates as an MLA. We are asking them to approach the cops for a police clearance certificate,' said MLA Mosaraf Hussen, who is also the chairman of the TMC's minority cell. The helpdesk began functioning on Wednesday, and will continue for a few more days from 7 am to 10 pm. ENS
Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting.
Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
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