“When we showed them our voter ID cards and Aadhaar cards, they said it was not enough. They wanted birth certificates and school documents. They even seized our phones and checked for phone numbers from Bangladesh.”
Ajimuddin Sheikh (22), a mason from Birbhum district in West Bengal, was among the migrant workers picked up by the Odisha police near Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district. One of several people who have since been released following intervention by Bengal police and the state administration, Sheikh spoke to The Indian Express over phone.
Over 400 migrant workers from West Bengal had been detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Around 50 were later released, some after they could furnish additional documentation, while others said they were let go following the involvement of “local guarantors”.
“We were eight in our group picked up around 1 am on Monday. At first, they seized our phones. They didn’t accept our Aadhaar or voter cards. Later, they returned the phones briefly and asked us to call home and arrange birth and school certificates. We did that. Around 1 am on Thursday, they let us go,” said Noor Muhammed Sheikh (18), a construction worker from Birbhum.
Three others in their group — Pintu Sheikh, Giasuddin Sheikh, and Rajibul Sheikh, all from Murshidabad — remain in detention. “They are in the haircutting business and reportedly had business contacts in Bangladesh. Bangladesh numbers were found on their phones,” claimed Ajimuddin Sheikh.
“We were questioned repeatedly but provided food thrice a day. When released, our phones were returned,” added Nijamuddin Sheikh (18), another member of the group.
For some, release came only after someone local agreed to vouch for them.
Samiul Ansari (31), a construction worker from Hariharpara in Murshidabad, said: “We were picked up three days ago — six of us in total. They checked our documents and interrogated us. Then someone known to us in the area stepped in as a guarantor, promising that we would report to the police if summoned. Only then were we let go at around 2 am Friday.” Ansari’s group has chosen to stay back and continue working.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.