West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has condemned a letter from the Delhi Police that referred to Bengali as a 'Bangladeshi language,' calling the letter 'scandalous, insulting, anti‑national, and unconstitutional.' This sentiment was echoed by Bengali artists and even her political rival, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM).
Banerjee shared an image of the letter on X (formerly Twitter). She emphasised that Bengali is one of the 22 official languages recognised by the Indian Constitution and the mother tongue of legendary Indian figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote India's national anthem and national song, respectively.
The letter, purportedly written by a Delhi Police inspector to Banga Bhawan, the state guest house for West Bengal in New Delhi, requested a translator for documents written in 'Bangladeshi language.' The communication was reportedly in connection with an investigation involving eight individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. While the authenticity of the letter has not been independently verified, Delhi Police have not yet officially responded to the controversy.
TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whose ministry oversees the Delhi Police. He asserted that this incident is a 'shocking escalation' of a pattern of harassment against Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. Abhishek Banerjee also stated that this was a deliberate attempt to 'undermine Bengali identity' and 'equate Indian Bengalis with foreigners.'
Mahua Moitra, another TMC MP, also weighed in, stating on X that "To call [Bangla] a Bangladeshi language on official documentation is a calculated action. We demand an unconditional apology from the Delhi Police." The CPM, in a rare moment of alignment with the TMC, also criticised the police letter, highlighting that Bengali is spoken by millions in India and is one of the country's official languages. They condemned the "criminalisation of language and identity" implied by the letter.
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The controversy also drew strong reactions from Bengali artists. Film director Srijit Mukherji posted on X, "That's not Bangladeshi language… that's Bangla or Bengali... the same language in which your national anthem was originally written and one of the 22 official languages of India." Similarly, singer Surojit Chatterjee wrote, "Bangla referred to as Bangladeshi language... Exactly the kind of ignorance I expect from the people responsible... Not surprised at all."
In response, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused Mamata Banerjee of "weaponizing language and stoking sentiment" for "vote-bank politics." He called her X post "a badly scripted political stunt" designed to shield illegal immigrants. The West Bengal BJP president, Samik Bhattacharya, also accused the TMC of "fear-mongering tactics" and "shielding" illegal immigrants. He defended the police's actions, stating the language used was "absolutely correct" when distinguishing between literature from India and Bangladesh.
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