Bhubaneswar/Balasore: Over 300 individuals from Odisha, allegedly detained by locals in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur, returned home safely Wednesday after police intervention, officials said. The incident is suspected to be the fallout of the alleged assault on migrant labourers from West Bengal in Odisha, who were mistakenly identified as Bangladeshi nationals. The people, from Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts, had travelled to Kharika village in Keshpur for treatment by a local healer.
On their way back, they were allegedly attacked by a mob, which also damaged their vehicles, they claimed. “All the people were rescued due to police intervention and safely reached Odisha,” said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar. He confirmed that the buses carrying the group dropped them off at Laxmannath Gate on the Odisha-Bengal border Tuesday evening. The situation came to light after some affected people contacted Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, who then informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Senior police officials from both states quickly coordinated efforts to rescue the detained people. Inspector-in-Charge of Remuna police station, Sanju Hasina Kulu, said 27 people from Remuna block were among those detained and have safely reached Laxmannath Gate. The incident follows a similar event August 10, where youths detained 34 people at a construction site in Sambalpur district, suspecting them of being Bangladeshi nationals amid the ongoing crisis in the neighbouring country. These tensions have also led to migrant workers returning to Bengal after facing attacks in Jagatsinghpur district.