West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp critique against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, linking the brutal lynching of a young migrant worker from Murshidabad in Odisha to a wider pattern of alleged persecution against Bengali-speaking people in states governed by the saffron party.
A Fatal Attack on Identity
The Chief Minister's strong remarks came three days after the tragic death of 20-year-old Juel Rana. A resident of Suti in Murshidabad's Jangipur subdivision, Rana had travelled to Sambalpur in Odisha for his first job outside Bengal, working as a mason. On the night of December 24, his life was cut short in a violent mob attack.
According to a complaint filed by Rana's mother, a group of seven to eight local men surrounded her son and his colleagues near their residence. The assailants accused the workers of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, solely because they were Bengali-speaking. The mob then allegedly beat them with sticks, iron rods, and other sharp weapons. Juel Rana died on the spot, while his two other colleagues from Bengal were severely assaulted and remain in critical condition.
Political Condemnation and Action
Taking to social media platform X, CM Banerjee expressed her government's strong condemnation. "We strongly condemn the brutal oppression and persecution that has descended upon Bengali-speaking people in every BJP-governed state," she posted. She asserted that language and identity were being weaponised against migrant workers.
"Speaking the Bengali language cannot be a crime," Banerjee stated, directly challenging the narrative behind the violence. She announced that the West Bengal Police has registered a zero FIR at Suti police station and a police team from the state has already gone to Odisha to assist in the investigation. While confirming that Odisha Police have arrested six accused, the Chief Minister made it clear that accountability must go beyond mere arrests.
Broader Implications and Compensation
Banerjee described the incident as "extremely unfortunate" and pointed to a growing climate of fear that is forcing migrant workers to flee BJP-ruled states. "Migrant workers in Murshidabad are returning home terrified," she observed, highlighting the wider impact of such violence on labour mobility and inter-state relations.
While emphasizing that money could never compensate for the loss of a human life, the Chief Minister affirmed that the Bengal government remains committed to providing economic compensation to the families in cases where such deaths occur. "We stand by those oppressed, terrified, and tortured migrant Bengali-speaking families, and we will provide all kinds of support to those families," she pledged, positioning her administration as a protector of the state's migrant workforce.
