Kolkata, February 12 (). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the murder of a migrant laborer from Bengal in Pune, Maharashtra. Terming this incident as a hate crime, he said that hatred towards outsiders in a state is being weaponized and innocent people are being targeted.
The Chief Minister expressed deep grief and anger by posting the video of the incident on the official X handle. “I am distraught, angry and hurt beyond words. Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant laborer from Bandwan, Purulia, who was the sole breadwinner of his family, was brutally murdered in Pune, Maharashtra,” she wrote in the ‘X’ post.
Mamata Banerjee said, “This is a straight-up hate crime. A youth was targeted, tortured and killed because of his language, identity and roots. This is the result of an environment where xenophobia is being weaponized.”
The Chief Minister demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and strictest punishment. She said, “I demand that the accused be immediately arrested and they are given severe punishment. I want to tell Sukhen’s family that the whole of Bengal stands with you in this hour of immense grief. No stone will be left unturned to get justice.”
It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee has raised her voice on the issue of attacks on migrant laborers from Bengal in other states, especially BJP ruled states. She has earlier also been cornering the central government against the alleged oppression of Bengali speaking people across the country.
The reaction comes a day after the incident in which a migrant laborer from Purulia district was allegedly murdered in Maharashtra. The Trinamool Congress leadership alleges that Sukhen Mahato was murdered because he spoke Bengali.
According to police and local sources, the name of the deceased is Sukhen Mahato and he was a resident of Bandwan in Purulia. His body was recovered from Koregaon Bhima area under Shikarpur police station in Pune on Wednesday afternoon. It is alleged that he was beaten to death because he spoke in Bengali. In this case, his elder brother Tulsiram Mahato has filed a complaint of murder in Shikarpur police station.
It is reported that Sukhen was working as a migrant laborer in Pune since the year 2021. He was working in a car parts manufacturing company in Sanatbari area near Koregaon Bhima. His body was recovered from the same area.
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VKU/ABM