Medinipur: Around 300 residents from Odisha’s Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts were allegedly detained and harassed in West Bengal’s Medinipur district.
The situation escalated when local attackers reportedly surrounded and damaged vehicles carrying the group, who were on their way back from seeking treatment from a traditional healer in Kharika village under Keshpur police limits.
What Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi said?
The incident came to light when some of the stranded people released video messages pleading for help. According to Odisha local media reports, the group had traveled in three SUVs, two buses, and one car. They were allegedly surrounded by locals who threatened to harm them, citing tensions between residents of West Bengal and Odisha. The attackers also damaged the vehicles, breaking windshields and creating an atmosphere of fear.
The situation was resolved after Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi intervened. Sarangi contacted Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, who coordinated with the local authorities in West Bengal to ensure the safety of the Odisha residents.
#WATCH | Balasore, Odisha: Around 300 people from Odisha's Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts were allegedly detained and tortured in West Bengal.
Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi says, "Now our people are safe. They were attacked by some terrorists in West Bengal's Medinipur.… pic.twitter.com/8ZJACwaBNP
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2024
Special buses were arranged to transport the stranded people to Laxmannath toll gate, from where the Odisha police facilitated their safe return home.
Sarangi assured that the group is now safe. He said, “We are at high alert and taking stock of the situation. The situation is under control now. I have directed immediate action against those causing nuisance and ensured our people are escorted safely to the border.”
How the tension between two states escalated?
The tension between the two states escalated after an incident in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on August 10, where members of the BJP’s youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, gheraoed 34 people at a construction site, suspecting them to be Bangladeshi nationals, as stated by Odisha local media reports. The situation caused unrest among workers from West Bengal, leading to several returning home.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed concern over the alleged mistreatment of migrant laborers from her state. She had urged the workers to return to West Bengal and take advantage of opportunities available there. Additionally, a demonstration was held outside Utkal Bhawan in central Kolkata, protesting the alleged assault on the migrant laborers.
