A Bengali worker has allegedly been murdered in Jharkhand on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national. His body was found hanging in his room. Upon hearing the news, the deceased’s family and neighbours in Murshidabad’s Beldanga erupted in anger. They blocked the railway line and National Highway 12, and tires were set ablaze. Rail traffic was naturally disrupted, and a long line of vehicles formed on the national highway on Friday.
Locals suspected Alauddin to be a Bangladeshi
The deceased has been identified as Alauddin Sheikh, aged 36. He was a resident of Sujapur Talpara in the Kumarpur Panchayat of Beldanga Police Station area in Murshidabad. He had gone to Jharkhand about five years ago in search of work, where he worked as a street vendor.
Alauddin’s brother-in-law, Osman Sheikh, said that his brother-in-law had called him the day before yesterday. He said that he was being harassed while selling goods in the villages of Jharkhand. He was being branded as a Bangladeshi everywhere, and showing his Aadhaar card was not helping. He also said that he was afraid because of the whole situation. Family members also spoke to Alauddin on Thursday afternoon. His mobile phone has been switched off since then.
Family received news of his death on Friday, protests going on at Murshidabad
Later, on Friday morning, the family received news of Alauddin’s death. His body was found hanging in his room. The family claims that the picture they received shows Alauddin sitting with a noose around his neck. Based on this, the family alleges that the young man was murdered and did not commit suicide. They believe the noose was placed around his neck afterward to cover up the crime. Upon receiving the news of the youth’s death, the family and neighbours erupted in anger. A group blocked the railway line, and protests are ongoing on National Highway 12. A large police force and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed to the scene to control the situation.
Migrant worker from Murshidabad murdered in Odisha on suspicion of being Bangladeshi
Jewel Rana aka Jewel Sheikh, a migrant worker from West Bengal, was murdered in Odisha allegedly on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi infiltrator in the last week of December. The 21-year-old migrant labourer, who was also from Bengal’s Murshidabad was fatally beaten up by a group of six youths on December 24 at Odisha’s Sambalpur town. The accused, who are also labourers from Sambalpur town, were arrested by Odisha police the next morning.
Jewel’s colleague Mazar Khan was seriously injured. Mazar recounted the harrowing experience from hospital and told local media, “Some people came to us. First, they asked for bidi. Then they demanded to see our Aadhaar cards. In an instant, they lunged at Jewel. They brutally killed him by smashing his head with a heavy object right in front of my eyes.”
Jewel’s another colleague, Nizamuddin Khan, claims that they were harassed because they were mistaken for Bangladeshis. They were subjected to brutal torture, which led to Jewel’s death. Both Mazar and Nizamuddin were hospitalised with multiple injuries after the attack.