A migrant laborer from West Bengal was subjected to a horrific attack in Odisha, allegedly for speaking his native Bengali language. The victim, Raja Ali, was beaten, tortured, and robbed of his entire savings before being forced to flee back to his home village.
A Night of Terror in Cuttack
The incident occurred on Wednesday near Cuttack, where Raja had been working at a stone factory for the past eight months. According to his complaint, the trouble had been brewing for some time. He faced repeated threats from locals in shops and markets simply for conversing in Bengali. Fearing for his safety, he often hid and even locked his door from the outside while working.
His worst fears materialized when a mob of 10 to 12 people forcibly entered his room. His two roommates managed to escape, but Raja was trapped. The assailants allegedly beat him mercilessly. In a deeply disturbing turn, they forced him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" during the assault. The attackers then robbed him of approximately Rs 50,000, his entire earnings from eight months of hard labor.
A Harrowing Escape and Return Home
"I only went there to earn a living. They became angry whenever I spoke Bengali," a traumatized Raja stated. "That night, they kept beating me, saying Bengali should not be spoken. They took all my earnings. I realized I wouldn't survive, so I fled somehow."
With no money left, his journey back to Goghat in West Bengal's Hooghly district was a struggle. He reached the Cuttack bus stand on Thursday. His landlord, showing pity, arranged a bus ticket to Mecheda. From there, Raja traveled without fare to Arambagh and finally made it home.
On Saturday, he formally lodged a complaint detailing the entire incident at the Goghat police station. The experience has left him shattered, vowing never to return to Odisha. He now plans to work as a farmer or mason in his home state.
Family in Despair, Political Blame Game Erupts
The attack has plunged his family into a severe crisis. Raja's father, Sheikh Moinuddin, revealed the family was entirely dependent on his son's income. "Now everything is over. I will not send him to Odisha again. Let him work here, but at least let him live," he said despairingly.
His mother, Shakuntala Bibi, highlighted their medical and financial woes. "I don't know how we will manage food and education now. I am an asthma patient, his father has a heart condition, and he himself is now unwell. There is no money for treatment," she lamented.
The incident quickly took a political turn. Trinamool Congress leader and Goghat-1 panchayat samiti president Vijay Roy accused the BJP-ruled states of a drive to expel Bengalis. "We strongly condemn this heinous incident. Our party is extending all possible support to this family," he said.
In response, BJP's Arambagh organisational district president Sushanta Bera dismissed the allegations as "false and malicious rumours." He insinuated provocation, asking, "If they go there and shout Bangladesh's slogan 'Joy Bangla', who will tolerate it?" Bera pointed out that lakhs of Bengalis live peacefully in Odisha and questioned why only Raja was targeted.
The case has sparked outrage and debate, highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers and raising serious questions about linguistic intolerance and safety.
