What Sparked The Bengal Violence & Why Is It Raising National Security Concerns?

Murshidabad: The Beldanga town of West Bengal's Murshidabad district has been facing violent protests since Friday. What triggered the protests and why are angry locals blocking streets, railway tracks and National Highway-12?

The protest was sparked by the death of a migrant worker from Bengal in Jharkhand. The deceased has been identified as Alauddin Sheikh, who was a resident of Beldanga's Sujapur Kumarpur gram panchayat area. Sheikh, who worked as a hawker in Jharkhand, was found hanging in a locked room of a rented accommodation. It is alleged that he was beaten to death and his murder was made to look like a suicide. Locals believe that the murder is related to the hostile treatment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers outside West Bengal. Sheikh was allegedly murdered on the suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national.

The protesters are demanding thorough investigation, strict action against those who are responsible, government compensation for the family and a mechanism to protect migrant workers from Bengal.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that workers from the state are often being specifically targeted for merely speaking Bengali. "Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being tortured in BJP-ruled states. Migrant workers are living peacefully in West Bengal without any harassment. Why are Bengali-speaking workers being targeted elsewhere?…They are beaten up in Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, or Bihar," she alleged.

Violent Protests

The protests in Beldanga turned violent as incidents of stone-pelting were reported in the area. Police forces were deployed in large numbers to bring the situation under control, and senior officials rushed to the spot as authorities worked to restore normalcy, officials said.

On Friday, several journalists were attacked while covering the protests. Reacting to the attack, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I am not supporting such attacks on journalists. But they should avoid going inside the mob. It is out of my hands.”

Railway routes were also blocked, with protesters also vandalising a railway gate.

NH-12 Blocked, Why Is It Concerning?

The angry protesters have blocked the National Highway 12 for hours. The blockade have raised concerns of threat to national security because of the location of the highway. Murshidabad serves as the indispensable gateway for all traffic moving toward the Siliguri Corridor. The district is traversed by two integrated branches of National Highway-12 (formerly NH-34), both of which are the primary road arteries reaching Siliguri.

The National Highway 12, which passes through Beldanga in Murshidabad, is a key lifeline that connects north and south Bengal, as well as the north-eastern part of the country.

The blockade of the highway leading to the "Chicken’s Neck" (the Siliguri Corridor) is a matter of grave national concern because this narrow strip of land is India's only terrestrial link to its eight Northeastern states. The ongoing unrest, hence, highlights the extreme vulnerability of this region. 

Also Read- National Highway, Trains Blocked As Protests Rock West Bengal's Beldanga After Migrant's Death