Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien has expressed concern over alleged harassment of people from West Bengal in Odisha's Bhadrak district and sought Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's intervention.
In a letter to Patnaik on Thursday, O'Brien, who is the leader of the Trinamul Congress Parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha, said that the victims hailed from Bengal's Murshidabad district.
He urged the chief minister to "take cognizance of the matter and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice." The TMC leader mentioned that close to a hundred people from Bengal’s Murshidabad district stay and earn a livelihood in Odisha's Bhadrak.
Recently, they were physically assaulted by the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and forced to flee.
“They were beaten up with a bat after they refused to show documents to prove their Indian citizenship," the leader's letter said.
A few days before this incident, they were videographed illegally, and a video labelling them as "Bangladeshi informants" was circulated on social media, the letter said, adding that circulation of the video led to more targeted physical assault by the BJP leaders and supporters.
The TMC leader also mentioned in the letter that people of Odisha and West Bengal have held a close affinity for each other.
"At a personal level, as you know, my family and I have always shared a fond relationship with Odisha," the letter said.
Derek further mentioned in the letter that the Constitution of India guarantees the right to live and earn freely and peacefully no matter where one might belong.
"The assault on the people of Murshidabad must not become a blot on our nation's ethos," it said.
Meanwhile, the Bharak police said that a local BJP leader Sayan Parida was arrested in connection with the attacks on the vendors from Murshidabad.
“Local police have been asked to take strict measures. These activities will not be tolerated,” Bhadrak Superintendent of Police Varun Guntapalli told reporters.
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