Mob lynches Bengali Indian in Odisha branding him ‘Bangladeshi’
A construction worker from Murshidabad district of West Bengal was killed when miscreants attacked him and two other workers demanding their Aadhaar card in western Odisha’s town of Sambalpur on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) evening.
While Odisha police claimed, “the murder is related to sudden provocation”, the contractor who engage the workers in Sambalpur said, “the miscreants called workers Bangladeshis, sought Aadhaar proof to prove their nationality and launched sudden attack from behind when they were about to show their Aadhar card.”
“The 20-year-old Jual Rana and two other workers in their early twenties had come out to have tea around 7 pm. Suddenly a group of four to five persons appeared and called my workers as Bangladeshi. They wanted proof in form of Aadhar card. When my workers were going to collect their respective Aadhaar card, they started beating them with stick. The deceased was hit on his head and succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital,” narrated Haque Saheb, the labour contractor from Jungipur area of Murshidabad.
Mr Saheb said they had been working peacefully in Sambalpur area for past 13 years and never faced such violence.
In a statement circulated among media persons, Himansu Lal Inspector General of Police (northern) said, “in the murder case registered in Ainthapali police station of Sambalpur, all accused are apprehended. Further scientific investigations are going on as per Law. Murder is related to sudden provocation. It is not regarding targeting anyone.” Condition of two workers admitted in hospital is stated to be stable.
Additional Superintendent of Police Srimant Barik elaborated further saying, “the workers had friendship with certain group of locals in Sambalpur. They used to have food together. Under influence of alcohol, locals asked for Bidi. There was quarrel between them. One person was attacked out of sudden provocation. The head injury caused due to attack led to death of one person.”
In the month of August, district police of Jharsuguda, neighbouring to Sambalpur, had picked up 444 people under suspicion of illegal immigration. However, on verification majority were found to be workers from West Bengal.
Source: The Hindu