West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contacted her Odisha counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday, August 11, 2024, to address reports of alleged assaults on laborers from West Bengal in Odisha. According to a senior official, Banerjee brought these incidents to Majhi’s attention during the conversation.
The Chief Minister noted that a number of individuals had traveled from West Bengal to Odisha for work and claimed they were allegedly being attacked and mistreated by local residents who mistakenly identified them as Bangladeshis. “Several people have gone from West Bengal to Odisha to work. There are reports that they are being beaten up and tortured by locals suspecting them to be Bangladeshis,” she conveyed to Majhi.
In light of the situation, Banerjee also advised the laborers from West Bengal to return home as soon as possible to take advantage of available opportunities within the state.
