HRW has highlighted illegal deportation of Bengali-speaking people, says Mamata
She called the development a 'shame' and said that now even international human rights organisations have started taking note 'of the linguistic terrorism unleashed in India'.
Taking to social media, Ms. Banerjee said the human rights organisation has released a report saying what have been saying: Bengali-speaking Indians (of different castes and communities) are being arbitrarily abused and pushed out in a concerted manner by the BJP establishment.
'Arbitrary expulsion'
'Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at HRW, has on record said, BJP is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengalis from the country, including Indian citizens. The authorities' claims that they are managing irregular migration are unconvincing,' the Trinamool Congress chairperson has said.
Citing HRW, Ms. Banerjee said the international NGO reported that the targeting of migrants is happening systematically in the BJP-ruled States of Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Delhi, following a directive by the Union Home Ministry.
The remarks by the Trinamool Congress chairperson comes amidst calls given by her to start a 'language movement' to protest against targeting of migrants from West Bengal in BJP-ruled States. There have been reports of migrants from West Bengal being detained in Odisha, Haryana and Delhi on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Some migrant workers from the State have been pushed into Bangladesh.
Lama Fakih, the Acting Deputy Executive Director, Chief Program Officer, HRW had on July 24 tweeted that Indian authorities have expelled hundreds of ethnic Bengali Muslims to Bangladesh without due process, claiming they are 'illegal immigrants', when many are Indian citizens. 'Expulsion without due process violates fundamental human rights...,' Ms. Fakih added.
Malda resident pushed into Bangladesh, says family
In a related development, the family members of Malda resident Sk. Amir said that the migrant worker was pushed into Bangladesh after being arrested by Rajasthan Police.
The family members of the migrant worker claimed that they have produced land documents to prove that they have been living in Malda's Kaliachak since the 1950s. The 22-year-old man was jailed in Rajasthan for two months on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi citizen before allegedly being pushed into Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) earlier this week. A video of the migrant worker narrating his plight has surfaced on social media.
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