'Speaking Bengali Cannot Be a Crime': Mamata Banarjee Condemns Killing of Bengali Migrant Worker

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday condemned the killing of a migrant worker from Murshidabad district following an altercation in Sambalpur, Odisha. The incident occurred on December 24. 

In a post on X, Mamata Banerjee shared, "We strongly condemn the brutal oppression and persecution that has descended upon Bengali-speaking people in every BJP-ruled state. We stand by those oppressed, terrified, and tortured migrant Bengali-speaking families, and we will provide all kinds of support to those families. No value can compensate for human lives, but in cases where deaths have occurred, we remain committed to economic compensation." 

She added that financial assistance would be provided to the victim's family. "Very recently, various forms of oppression have descended upon some migrant workers from the Jangipur area in the BJP-ruled Odisha state. It is extremely unfortunate that a young migrant worker from the Suti area of Jangipur was beaten to death in Sambalpur on December 24th. Migrant workers in Murshidabad are returning home terrified from Odisha. In this heartbreaking incident, we stand with the families, and our financial assistance to the family of the deceased will also reach them," she said.   

The Chief Minister also alleged that the worker was killed for speaking in Bengali. "In all these incidents in BJP-ruled states, our condemnation of the perpetrators and our promise of all kinds of help for the oppressed remain. Speaking the Bengali language cannot be a crime. In the matter of the deceased young Jewel Rana, the West Bengal Police has already filed a zero FIR at Suti Police Station, and six people have already been arrested. A police team from my state has gone to Odisha for investigation," she further added.  

Earlier, SDPO Sambalpur Srimanta Barik said on December 25, "Some labourers lived here, and they worked here as well. They had become friends with the locals... Some men, under the influence of alcohol, went to them to ask for cigarettes, and a fight broke out between the two groups. One group of men hit him (the victim) on the head, causing a head injury that led to his death. Six men have been arrested in connection with this incident, and the others will also be arrested soon."