Full Breakdown
Four Bengal Migrant Workers Freed After Prolonged Detention Over Bangladeshi-Nationality Claims
By Drooid · · How we work
Detention, Legal Challenge and Release
On September 4, 2026, Chhattisgarh police detained 23 migrant labourers from Murshidabad, West Bengal, after finding their names missing from the state’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Four of the men—Sabir Sheikh, Safikul Islam, Nasiruddin Sheikh and Laltu Sheikh (28)—were transferred to the Raipur Correctional Home on September 5, 2026 for medical checks and further custody. Nineteen of the 23 were released on September 18, 2026 following a local civil-court order; the remaining four remained detained while their appeals against deletion from the rolls awaited adjudication before a tribunal.
Judicial Scrutiny
The Calcutta High Court intervened on October 5, 2026, when a bench led by Justice Krishna Rao questioned the Bilaspur Foreigners Registration Officer (who also serves as the Superintendent of Police) about the legal basis for determining citizenship while the workers’ electoral-roll appeals were pending. Justice Rao asked how an FRO in Chhattisgarh could decide on nationality when the appellate tribunal had yet to rule.
The men were released on the night before the hearing scheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2026. Safikul Islam described the moment:
— Safikul, migrant worker
Official and Political Responses
The Chhattisgarh administration noted that the workers had been held on suspicion of illegal migration, but the court’s questioning highlighted a “double standard” and “contradictory” handling of citizenship determinations.
Workers’ Accounts and Compensation Claim
Sabir Sheikh recounted being interrogated “like a suspected terrorist” despite presenting documents, and said the correctional home’s conditions were “decent” but that they were denied mobile phones. He added that the four had earned Rs 15,000-16,000 per month in utensil sales for the past decade and now seek government compensation for the ordeal.
> “My older brother, Mostakim Sheikh’s name was on the list, so he was let go. But I was detained along with three others.” — Sabir, migrant worker
The case underscores tensions between state immigration enforcement and electoral-roll restoration processes, prompting calls for clearer inter-state verification mechanisms.