West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on December 27, 2025, confirmed that authorities have registered a zero FIR at Suti police station in Murshidabad district concerning the fatal lynching of migrant worker Juel Rana in Odisha's Sambalpur district, while a dedicated police team from West Bengal has been dispatched to the site to conduct a parallel investigation and coordinate with local authorities.
The victim, a young construction labourer from the Suti area in Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad, was allegedly assaulted on the night of December 24, 2025, in Shantinagar under Ainthapalli police jurisdiction, after a minor dispute over a bidi escalated into a violent attack by a group of six men, leading to severe injuries that caused his death during treatment at a Sambalpur hospital.
In a strongly worded statement, Banerjee condemned the incident as part of a pattern of brutal oppression, harassment, and violence directed at Bengali-speaking individuals in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, emphasising that linguistic identity cannot be grounds for such treatment and assuring comprehensive support, including financial assistance, to the bereaved family and other affected migrant households.
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The Trinamool Congress has linked the assault to prolonged political campaigns that allegedly portray Bengali speakers, particularly from border districts, as suspected infiltrators, though Odisha police have arrested all six accused and maintained that the violence stemmed from sudden provocation rather than premeditated communal or identity-based targeting.
Amid reports of migrant workers from Muslim-majority Murshidabad returning home in apprehension following this and prior incidents, the state government continues to promote rehabilitation through schemes like Shramasree, offering financial incentives for returnees, as West Bengal closely monitors developments in the case to ensure justice for its citizens working across state borders.
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