Kolkata, Feb 12 Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday condemned the death of a migrant worker from West Bengal in Maharashtra's Pune and slammed the 'weaponisation of xenophobia' to target innocent lives.
Using her X handle, CM Banerjee shared a video of the incident and expressed her anger at the rising hate crimes in the country.
"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," Banerjee wrote.
"This is nothing short of a hate crime. A young man was hunted, tortured, and murdered for his language, his identity, his roots. This is the direct consequence of a climate where xenophobia is weaponised, and innocents are turned into targets," she said.
Banerjee also demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits and exemplary punishment for committing such a crime.
"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," said Banerjee.
This is not the first time Mamata Banerjee has spoken out against the attack on migrant workers from West Bengal across the country, and especially in BJP-ruled states. She has been vocal against the issue and repeatedly targeted the Centre over the harassment of Bengali-speaking people across the country.
The strong reaction from the West Bengal Chief Minister came a day after a migrant worker from Purulia district was allegedly murdered in Maharashtra. The Trinamool Congress leadership alleged that the migrant worker was murdered in Pune because he spoke Bengali.
According to police and local sources, the deceased's name is Sukhen Mahato. His home is in Bandwan in Purulia. On Wednesday afternoon, the police recovered his body from the Koregaon Bhima area of Pune's Shikarpur police station. They have alleged that Sukhen was beaten to death for speaking in Bengali. His elder brother, Tulsiram Mahato, has filed a murder complaint with the Shikarpur police station in this regard.
It was learnt that Sukhen has been working as a migrant worker in Pune since 2021. He worked in a car parts manufacturing company in the Sanatbari area near Koregaon Bhima. His body was recovered from that area.
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