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A young Bengali migrant worker’s decease successful Maharashtra provoked outrage successful West Bengal with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Thursday (February 12, 2026) terming it a “hate crime”.
Sukhen Mahato, 24, who hailed from Bandwan successful Purulia district, was recovered dormant successful Koregaon country of Pune successful Maharashtra connected Tuesday (February 10, 2026) morning. The migrant idiosyncratic earned a surviving astatine a mill that makes spare parts of vehicles and did not instrumentality to his location successful Pune connected Monday (February 9, 2026) night, constabulary said.
‘Sickened beyond words’
“I americium shaken, enraged, and sickened beyond words by the barbaric execution of Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant idiosyncratic from Bandwan successful Purulia, the sole earning subordinate of his family, successful Pune, Maharashtra. This is thing abbreviated of a hatred crime. A young antheral was hunted, tortured, and murdered for his language, his identity, his roots,” Ms. Banerjee posted connected societal media.
There has been a spike successful the fig of attacks connected migrant workers from West Bengal successful respective States crossed the country. Last month, the decease of 30-year-old migrant idiosyncratic Alauddin Sheikh successful Jharkhand had triggered unit successful West Bengal arsenic protesters blocked roads and railway lines. Later, the constabulary concluded that the decease of the migrant idiosyncratic was owed to suicide.
Regarding Mahato’s death, Chief Minister Ms. Banerjee said it was “the nonstop effect of a clime wherever xenophobia is weaponised and innocents are turned into targets”.
Seeking “immediate arrests and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators”, the Trinamool Congress chairperson said: “Bengal stands with you successful this hr of unimaginable grief. No effort volition beryllium spared to unafraid justice.”
In the sanction of a nation: The Bengali migrant idiosyncratic and Indian citizenship
Attacked for speaking Bengali: father
While determination were reports that constabulary successful Pune stated that the migrant idiosyncratic got embroiled successful a combat with locals successful a drunken state, Dhiren Mahato, the begetter of the deceased migrant worker, said that his lad was targeted for speaking successful Bengali.
Local Trinamool Congress leaders visited the residence of the deceased migrant idiosyncratic successful Purulia. On Friday, Trinamool Congress nationalist wide caput Abhishek Banerjee volition sojourn Mahato’s location and conscionable the bereaved household members.
The harassment, detention and onslaught connected migrant workers from West Bengal successful antithetic parts of the state aft May 2025 has go a governmental contented with the Trinamool Congress linking it with Bengali connection and identity. The Trinamool Congress claims that specified attacks are happening successful a targeted mode connected migrant workers speaking successful Bengali.
After a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to place Bangladeshi nationals successful May 2025, thousands of Bengali-speaking migrant workers were detained for days successful holding centres crossed respective States. Some persons who were detained from Delhi, Mumbai and different parts of the state were forcibly pushed into Bangladesh.
