Bengali-speaking workers attacked in India
Assault in western India highlights growing targeting of Bengali speakers, especially Muslims, amid Hindu extremist narratives linking language to illegality
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Three migrant workers from eastern India have alleged they were violently assaulted in Maharashtra after being falsely accused of being “Bangladeshis” for speaking Bengali, highlighting growing concern over linguistic and religious profiling across the country.
The victims — Dilip Bagdi, Samir Barui, and a third co-worker from West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district — said they were attacked while travelling back from Maharashtra after local residents overheard them speaking Bengali — a language shared by millions of Indian citizens as well as neighboring Bangladesh.
According to their accounts, suspicion escalated quickly despite the workers having earlier communicated in Hindi while purchasing tickets.
The men said they were stopped, questioned, and repeatedly accused of being undocumented migrants from Bangladesh. They alleged they were forcibly taken off their transport and moved to another location, where their government-issued identity cards were checked. Even after presenting Aadhaar card— India’s biometric identification, the workers said their claims of Indian citizenship were rejected.
According to the victims, the confrontation escalated into physical violence. They alleged that hot tea was poured over their heads and that they were beaten and kicked on their head and abdomen. One of the men said the assault continued even after he pretended to fall ill in an attempt to halt the attack.
The incident reflects a broader pattern reported in recent months, in which Bengali-speaking people — particularly Muslims — have been targeted, harassed, or attacked in several Indian states after being labelled “illegal Bangladeshis” based solely on language, appearance, or names.
After the workers returned home, Narendranath Chakraborty, a lawmaker from West Bengal’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress, met the victims and strongly condemned the assault. He accused India’s central government of enabling a climate in which Bengali-speaking citizens are routinely treated as outsiders.
“This is an act of extreme cruelty against Bengalis. While West Bengal welcomes people from across India, Bengali-speaking citizens are being attacked elsewhere. People will not forget this,” Chakraborty said.
Bengali is spoken by more than 100 million Indian citizens, primarily in eastern India, yet rights groups warn that language, religion, and migration status are increasingly being conflated, placing Bengali-speaking Muslims and migrants at heightened risk of violence and discrimination.
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