By M Ghazali Khan
London: Muslims who migrate from West Bengal to other Indian states for daily wage work are increasingly being targeted and subjected to severe discrimination, speakers said at a web seminar held on 25 January, the eve of Republic Day of India.
The claims were made by migrant workers, social activists, and lawyers who said that Hindutva groups, along with central and state authorities, have been harassing Muslim migrant labourers. The seminar, titled ‘Whose Republic?’, was organised by the London-based advocacy organisation South Asia Solidarity Group a day before Republic Day, which is being observed across India.
Among the speakers were Asif Farooq of the Migrant Workers Unity Forum; Malay Tiwari of CPI (ML) West Bengal; Advocate Supantha Sinha, a senior Supreme Court lawyer associated with the Migrant Solidarity Network; and migrant workers employed in Mumbai and other states. The workers shared personal accounts of repeated harassment by police and Hindutva groups, who allegedly accuse labourers from West Bengal of being Bangladeshi nationals.
According to the speakers, in several cases, individuals were deported to Bangladesh despite possessing valid documents proving Indian citizenship. One woman, they said, was able to return to India only after the Supreme Court intervened.
The workers also highlighted that widespread unemployment in West Bengal forces them to migrate in search of work. Once they leave, they said, returning home becomes extremely difficult due to poverty and the lack of money for travel and accommodation.