“A parallel policing system exists in some states as private individuals ask migrant workers to prove their identity. This must be stopped,” Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. File | Photo credit: PTI
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met West Bengal migrant workers in Odisha’s Sambalpur on Sunday (January 4, 2026) and expressed concern over “parallel policing” in some states where Bengali workers were allegedly asked by private individuals to provide their identity cards and urged law enforcement agencies to stop the practice.
Mr. Chowdhury, a five-time former MP from Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, also assured the migrant workers that the Congress was with them.
“I met some Bengali migrant workers here and told them that the Congress is with them. I also informed them that the matter was taken up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr. Chowdhury told reporters.
He expressed concern over the killing of 30-year-old Jewel Rana, a Bengali-speaking migrant laborer from Murshidabad’s Jangipur, in Sambalpur last month following an argument over ‘bidi’. The attackers also reportedly asked Jewel Rana to show his Aadhaar card as they suspected him to be a Bangladeshi infiltrator, which the local police refused.
“A parallel policing system exists in some states as private individuals ask migrant workers to prove their identity. This must be stopped and the police should ensure that no one is harassed by goons on the suspicion that a migrant worker may be a Bangladeshi infiltrator,” Chowdhury said.
The former Congress leader in the Lok Sabha said he had brought the issue to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Chowdhury also said that he plans to bring the matter to the attention of President Droupadi Murma, who hails from Odisha, Sambalpur MP and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
“I will fight for the safety of Bengali migrant workers working in different states,” the Congress chief said.
He also met local Congress leaders and urged them to remain vigilant to avoid similar incidents in future.
Mr. Chowdhury also met Northern Range Inspector General Himanshu Kumar Lal and Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo during his one-day visit to Sambalpur.
“The local police took swift action and arrested the accused persons within six hours of the incident. The police will also file a chargesheet very soon and ensure that the accused are punished,” Mr Lal told reporters after meeting Mr Chowdhury.
Mr. Lal said the police operate with a “zero tolerance” policy for such incidents and conduct regular patrolling in vulnerable areas.
The police have also launched an awareness campaign and urged them not to take the law into their hands, he said.
Accompanied by some Congress leaders from neighboring West Bengal, where assembly elections are due this year, Mr. Chowdhury visited Dhanipali in the Ainthapali Police Station area and met several Bengali-speaking migrant workers.
They also visited the place where Jewel Rana was hacked on December 24 last year.
While interacting with the migrant workers, Mr. Chowdhury inquired about their well-being and asked them not to worry about their safety in Odisha.
Mr. Chowdhury said the people of West Bengal and Odisha have centuries of cordial relations.
Thousands of laborers from West Bengal work in Odisha and vice versa, he said.
“But now the situation is taking a negative turn in the name of infiltration by Bangladesh. Migrant workers from West Bengal are being subjected to atrocities, violence and murders. This is not acceptable to both the states,” he said.
The Congress leader said that migrant workers move to other states for livelihood and their intention should not be suspected.
“Please don’t consider all Bengali speaking people as Bangladeshis,” he added.
Published – 04 Jan 2026 18:54 IST
