Left parties hold procession against the harassment of W.B. migrants in other States

Amidst reports of targeting of migrant workers from West Bengal in the BJP ruled States, the Left parties on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) hit the streets in Kolkata demanding that the harassment of migrants should stop.

Leaders and supporters of Left parties like CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and CPIML participated in the march from Esplanade to Ramlila Park and their demands include that both the Union government and West Bengal government should ensure that migrants from the State should not be targeted.

CPI (M) State Secretary Md. Salim who participated in the march said that the migrants have a right to work anywhere in the country and the Union government and BJP and RSS is responsible for it.

“The Election Commission has no right to conduct SIR ( special intensive revision). The Constitution of India provides the mandate for holding free and fair elections to the Commission. Tamanna was killed during elections and no action was taken by the ECI. The Central Election Commission is subservient to the Centre and the State Election Commission is subservient to the State,” Mr. Salim said.

The CPI(M) leader was referring to the death of Tamanna Khatun, a nine year old girl who was killed in a crude bomb explosion on June 23 at Kaliganj in Nadia district on the day results of the bypolls of Kaliganj Assembly seat was announced. Sabina Yeasmin , the mother of Tamanna, also held protests in Nadia demanding justice for her daughter and protection of migrants in other States. The father of Tamanna Hossain Sheikh is a migrant worker and was away when his daughter was killed.

The protests by the Left Parties who also demanded a special session of West Bengal Assembly on the harassment of migrants also blamed the Trinamool Congress government and said that West Bengal has done nothing for the welfare of migrant workers.

The rally by Left parties comes after the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for sustained protests and a ‘language movement’ over the targeting of migrant workers from West Bengal.

Addressing the Trinamool Congress annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21, Ms. Banerjee has said that a movement would start in Bengal from next Sunday to protest against alleged attacks on “Bengalis, Bengali language and linguistic terrorism”.

Meanwhile, Calcutta High Court directed the Odisha government to file an affidavit in opposition to the contentions in habeas corpus petitions that two Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal were illegally detained in the neighbouring state.

The court was informed that the two migrant workers over whom the habeas corpus petition was filed Sainur Islam and Rakibul Islam have already returned to their residences. The Odisha government denied that migrants were illegally detained.