Migrant worker killed in Odisha, Trinamool says targeted for speaking in Bengali

The killing of a migrant worker from West Bengal’s Murshidabad, in Odisha’s Sambalpur, drew a strong reaction from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership on Thursday (December 25, 2025), who claimed that the worker was “murdered for speaking Bengali”.

Juyel Rana (19), who had gone to Odisha for work with a group of youths, was allegedly attacked by a group of people who wanted to see his identity documents. Rana’s family members said he had gone to work on December 20 and was killed for no fault of his own.

Local police and TMC leaders visited Rana’s house. Suti MLA Emani Biswas said the youth was killed in the BJP-ruled State for speaking Bengali and on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi.

Senior TMC leader and Minister Shashi Panja held a press conference in Kolkata and asked, “How long will Bengalis be punished just because Bengal did not bow down to the BJP? How many lives will this politics of hatred claim? Is the only crime of those who work hard, with honour, and demand civil rights that they speak Bengali?”

West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board Chairperson Samirul Islam also said that the migrant worker was “lynched to death and two others were injured after BJP’s goons attacked them and labelled them as Bangladeshi infiltrators”.

“How many lives of innocent Bengali-speaking people does the BJP want? This is nothing but another example of how the BJP treats Bengalis,” Mr. Islam posted on a social media site.

This is not the first time that attacks and deaths of migrant workers from West Bengal in BJP-ruled States have evoked strong reactions from the TMC. Since May 2025, there have been several reported cases across different States in which Bengali-speaking migrant workers were detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi. In some cases, workers were ‘pushed back’ into Bangladesh despite being Indian nationals.

The TMC leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, earlier hit the streets describing such incidents as attacks on ‘Bengali asmita’ ( identity and culture). The West Bengal government has also started a scheme to provide a monthly honorarium for migrant workers who are willing to return, but migration for work continues unabated.

Meanwhile, Murshidabad BJP MLA Gaurishankar Ghosh said the Chief Minister has tarnished the image of the State nationwide by ‘patronising infiltrators’, and held her responsible for what he claimed lack of trust towards Bengalis.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Subhankar Sarkar condemned this incident and said that the Government should immediately open a department to prevent harassment of migrant workers from Bengal and protect their livelihood.