Widespread tension erupted in the Beldanga area of Murshidabad after the body of a Bengali migrant worker, who had been working outside the state, was brought back to his village. Angry residents took to the streets, alleging murder and accusing the authorities of inaction.
The deceased, Md. Alauddin Sheikh (30) aka Alai Sheikh, was a resident of the Sujapur Kumarpara Gram Panchayat area in Beldanga. A street vendor by occupation, he had migrated to Jharkhand in search of work. On Thursday, his body was found hanging inside a room under suspicious circumstances.
Rejecting claims of suicide, the victim’s family alleged that Alai was “assaulted and killed, and later hanged to make the death appear as suicide.” They further claimed, “He was targeted because he was a Bengali migrant labourer. The family has demanded a thorough investigation and the immediate arrest of those involved.”
Protests broke out soon after the body reached the village. Local residents blocked National Highway 12, severely disrupting traffic on the busy Kolkata–North Bengal route for several hours. Demonstrators also staged a rail blockade at Beldanga railway station, bringing train services on the Lalgola–Sealdah section to a halt.
Police and senior administrative officials reached the spot and held talks with the protesters in an attempt to restore normalcy. However, the agitation had not been fully withdrawn at the time of reporting, and the situation in the area remained tense.
The incident adds to a growing list of deaths and alleged assaults involving Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha. In December last year, A migrant worker from West Bengal was allegedly beaten to death by unidentified assailants in Odisha’s Sambalpur district. Two other workers sustained serious injuries in the attack, which took place late on Wednesday night under the jurisdiction of Ainthapali police station. The deceased has been identified as 21-year-old Juel Sheikh. Juel was a resident of Chak Bahadurpur village under Suti Police Station in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. In October, another migrant labour from Howrah’s Amta was allegedly tortured and killed in Chattisgargh for speaking in Bengali. Identified as Biddyut Bera (40-year-old) was found dead in a forest in Karajia Police area. Bera went to Bilaspur for work about 9 months before his death. His family alleged he was targeted under Bangladeshi suspicion.
