West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed shock and anger over the alleged murder of Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant worker from Purulia who was working in Pune, Maharashtra.
Calling the incident a “hate crime,” Banerjee alleged that the victim was targeted because of his language and identity and blamed a growing climate of xenophobia for such attacks. She demanded the immediate arrest and strict punishment of those responsible.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister wrote, “I am shaken, enraged, and sickened beyond words by the barbaric murder of Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant worker from Bandwan in Purulia, the sole earning member of his family, in Pune, Maharashtra. This is nothing short of a hate crime. A young man was hunted, tortured, and murdered for his language, his identity, his roots.”
She further added, “I demand immediate arrests and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. And to Sukhen’s family, I say that Bengal stands with you in this hour of unimaginable grief. No effort will be spared to secure justice.”
The incident adds to several recent cases in which Bengali migrant workers have allegedly been targeted in other states. Many of these incidents have been linked to linguistic profiling or suspicions regarding citizenship, triggering political and legal controversies in West Bengal and beyond.
The Trinamool Congress has, in the past, accused BJP leaders of “deliberately branding Bengali-speaking Indians as infiltrators, outsiders, and suspects.”
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