Kolkata: Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam on Thursday filed a PIL in the Supreme Court over the alleged “unlawful detention, torture, harassment, and atrocities against thousands of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in multiple BJP-ruled states”.
The division bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, heard the PIL on Thursday. The Supreme Court has directed all the states and the Union government to file an affidavit in response to the allegations mentioned in the PIL. The next date of hearing has been scheduled for August 25.
The MP said he filed the PIL on behalf of the West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board, of which he is chairman.
“There are many who were illegally sent to Bangladesh despite being Bengali-speaking Indian citizens. In the PIL, I have named the Union government and the state authorities of Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana as respondents,” he posted on X.
“I approached the apex court seeking justice for those poor people who built the nation through their precious labour...We will continue the legal fight for justice for Bengali-speaking people till our last breath. Under the leadership of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, we will continue protesting against the Bangla Birodhis and ensure their defeat. This country belongs to all of us,” Islam said.
The board has been fighting the cause of migrant labourers for quite long. Calling the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states as “illegal” and "more dangerous than emergency”, Banerjee dared to keep her in a detention camp.
There were many instances of Bengali-speaking migrants workers’ detainment in various parts of the country, including in Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi and Maharashtra, in the recent past. Banerjee has said there were 22 lakh migrant workers from Bengal work in different states.
Independence Day 2025
Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile
Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency
Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it’s a maker
The MP said he filed the PIL on behalf of the West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board, of which he is chairman.
“There are many who were illegally sent to Bangladesh despite being Bengali-speaking Indian citizens. In the PIL, I have named the Union government and the state authorities of Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana as respondents,” he posted on X.
“I approached the apex court seeking justice for those poor people who built the nation through their precious labour...We will continue the legal fight for justice for Bengali-speaking people till our last breath. Under the leadership of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, we will continue protesting against the Bangla Birodhis and ensure their defeat. This country belongs to all of us,” Islam said.
The board has been fighting the cause of migrant labourers for quite long. Calling the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states as “illegal” and "more dangerous than emergency”, Banerjee dared to keep her in a detention camp.
There were many instances of Bengali-speaking migrants workers’ detainment in various parts of the country, including in Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi and Maharashtra, in the recent past. Banerjee has said there were 22 lakh migrant workers from Bengal work in different states.
