Calcutta HC to hear 2 cases on harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in Odisha, Delhi simultaneously on July 16

Kolkata, July 14 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Monday said that it would hear two separate cases on alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal in two different states, together this week and not separately.

One of the two cases is about the harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal in Odisha, and the second case is about similar harassment in Delhi.

It was alleged that these Bengal-speaking migrant workers were harassed by the Odisha and Delhi governments after branding them as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The Odisha-related matter came up for hearing at the Division Bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.

The Division Bench decided that instead of hearing the Odisha-related matter separately the same would be heard simultaneously and together with the Delhi-related matter on July 16.

On Monday, the petitioner in the Odisha-related matter informed the court that most of the workers who were detained in Odisha after being branded as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have returned to West Bengal.

The petitioner also expressed hope that the complications related to the return of a few other migrant workers from West Bengal who are still in Odisha will be resolved soon.

On July 11, the Division Bench of Justice Chakraborty and Justice Mitra directed the Union Home Ministry to submit a report to the court on allegations that some Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal residing in New Delhi have been recently deported to Bangladesh.

The Division Bench also directed the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to contact his counterpart in the Delhi government and also get a report from the state government there on the same matter, which will also have to be submitted to the court.

Incidentally, on July 16, the Trinamool Congress will be organising a mega rally in Kolkata to be led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in states outside West Bengal, especially in BJP-ruled states.

Besides the main rally in Kolkata, the state’s ruling party would also organise similar protest rallies in all the districts.

--IANS

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