3 hrs ago
Four Workers Released After Detention Over Citizenship Suspicion
Four workers from West Bengal had been held in Chhattisgarh because officials suspected they were from Bangladesh without proper documents.
They were among 23 workers detained in September.
The other 19 were released after officials checked records about them.
A court questioned how officials could decide the remaining four were not Indian while their appeals were still being heard.
The four were released from a centre in Raipur on Wednesday.
One man said the police order described them as Indians, not Bangladeshis.
The High Court was due to hear their case on Thursday.
Four workers from Murshidabad, West Bengal, were released from a holding centre in Raipur on Wednesday.
They were among 23 migrant workers detained in Bilaspur on September 4 over suspicion they were undocumented Bangladeshi migrants.
The other 19 workers had been released on September 19 after officials checked records and documents from West Bengal.
The Calcutta High Court questioned how authorities could determine the four men's citizenship while their electoral-roll appeals were pending.
One of the released men said police recorded that the four were Indians, not Bangladeshis.
- Who
- Four workers from Murshidabad, West Bengal: Sabir Sheikh, Safikul Islam, Nasiruddin Sheikh and Laltu Sheikh.
- What
- They were released after being detained on suspicion of being undocumented Bangladeshi migrants.
- Where
- They were detained in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, and released from a holding centre in Raipur.
- When
- They were detained on September 4 and released on Wednesday; the article does not give the release date.
- Why
- They had been detained over suspicions about their citizenship; police later recorded that they were Indians, not Bangladeshis.
Court's concern
Authorities' position
Determining citizenship while appeals were pending
Court's concern
The Calcutta High Court questioned how Bilaspur authorities could determine the men's citizenship while an appellate tribunal in West Bengal was still hearing their appeals over electoral-roll deletions.
Authorities' position
Authorities had detained the men on suspicion that they were undocumented Bangladeshi migrants; the article does not provide a detailed response from them to the court's questions.
Key facts
- Number released
- Four
- Total workers detained
- 23
- Detention date
- September 4
- Earlier releases
- Nineteen workers were released on September 19 after verification of records and documents.
- Release location
- A holding centre in Raipur
- Court hearing
- The Calcutta High Court was scheduled to hear the case on Thursday.
Quotes
Justice Krishna Rao
Calcutta High Court judge who questioned the authorities’ determination of the men’s citizenship.
“If your authority is telling that he is not an Indian, so what will the appellate authority do? You are playing with people.”
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One of the four released men
A worker released from the Raipur holding centre.
“It happened suddenly when we lost our hope.”
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Sources
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