Chhattisgarh Police 'forcibly' sending migrants back to Bengal: Mahua Moitra

TMC (Trinamool Congress) MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday accused Chhattisgarh Police of violating the Constitution by "forcing" nine migrant workers from West Bengal to leave the state in central India after releasing them from detention.

The migrant workers, reportedly residents of her Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal's Nadia district, were earlier arrested in Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon.

In a video message posted on X, Moitra alleged that despite being released from custody, the workers were "forced" to board buses and compelled to return to West Bengal.

She described the alleged incident as a "gross violation" of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, which protects citizens' freedom of movement and the right to practise any profession.

“Attention @ChhattisgarhCMO @KondagaonDist @CG_Police – you are physically pushing my workers into buses forcibly to send them back! You have NO right to stop free movement of people – Fundamental rights Articles 19 (1) (d) & (g). STOP,” the MP posted on X.

The TMC leader alleged that the initial arrest of the nine migrant labourers was based on "false" charges and claimed that it was an "abduction orchestrated" by the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh government and its police.

"I want to ask the DGP of Chhattisgarh — do you know what your police are doing? These people are not criminals; they had gone there for work. You cannot forcibly put them on a bus and send them back like this. They have the right to live and work in any part of the country.

Attention @ChhattisgarhCMO @KondagaonDist @CG_Police you are physically pushing my workers into buses forcibly to send them back! You have NO right to stop free movement of people - Fundamental rights Articles 19 (1) (d) & (g) . STOP pic.twitter.com/G3GOeMhRYn

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 15, 2025

"That right is being taken away. I hope you realise this, because if you don’t, I am going to take you to court," Moitra claimed in her video statement, addressing Chhattisgarh's director-general of police.

The TMC MP also claimed that she had received information that all nine workers had been released, but were subsequently coerced into leaving the state.

The development comes amid ongoing allegations by the ruling TMC in West Bengal that migrant workers from the state, especially Bengali-speaking individuals, are being targeted and harassed in BJP-ruled states. There have been claims that even those with valid documents are being detained, with attempts being made to label them as "illegal Bangladeshis".

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already expressed concerns over the alleged mistreatment of Bengali migrant labourers in other states. and is set to take out a protest rally on Wednesday, 16 July.

However, the BJP held the TMC government responsible for allegedly creating confusion surrounding migrant workers' identities. The BJP alleged that a large number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh had managed to acquire fake Indian documents and were moving freely across the country. These 'Indian documents' presumably include those issued by the Central government, such as Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards.

“The lines between real citizens and those using forged documents have become increasingly blurred. Thousands of infiltrators from Bangladesh have managed to create fake papers identifying them as Bengal residents and are now circulating across the country as Indian nationals,” senior Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha had said, though he has so far furnished no evidence to support these claims.

With PTI inputs