6 Arrested in Odisha After Migrant Worker Lynched Over ‘Bangladeshi’ Claim

Police have arrested 6 suspects as the motive remains under investigation. The incident highlights - deep vulnerability of migrant laborers and has sparked debate on their safety and underlying societal tensions.

A 20-year-old migrant worker from Murshidabad in West Bengal was brutally lynched by a mob in Sambalpur, Odisha, in a violent incident that has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed debates on the safety of migrant labourers.

The victim, who had travelled to Odisha just five days earlier for his first job as a mason, was identified as Juel Sheikh. Family members and eyewitnesses allege that the attackers branded him and fellow workers as “Bangladeshi” before unleashing a deadly assault.

According to local police, a group of youths confronted the migrant workers near their living site and, after a brief interaction over cigarettes (bidis), demanded to see their identity documents. The situation quickly escalated into violence, with the aggressors beating Sheikh and two others with sticks and iron rods. Sheikh succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while the others were hospitalized with critical injuries.

Authorities have arrested six suspects in connection with the murder and have launched a formal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the attack. The Inspector General of Police clarified that, based on initial evidence, the incident stemmed from a sudden dispute rather than a premeditated communal assault. Police officials emphasized that the motive remains under inquiry as further forensic and testimonial evidence is gathered.

The victim’s family, however, has vehemently rejected this explanation, insisting that their kin was attacked after being falsely labelled a Bangladeshi immigrant, highlighting anxieties among Bengali-speaking migrant workers in the region. Concerned residents have voiced fear and urged authorities to ensure justice and stronger protections for transient workers in the state.

The incident has sparked public debate and alarm within migrant communities, underscoring deeper societal tensions surrounding identity, belonging, and the vulnerability of labourers far from home. Investigators continue to pursue leads as they reconstruct the sequence of events leading to Sheikh’s death.