Murshidabad Residents Flee Odisha Amidst Alleged BJP Supporters' Harassment; Complaint Filed, Arrest Made

Following intimidation and physical attack by suspected BJP supporters, more than 100 Samserganj in Murshidabad locals who had resided and sold their goods in Odisha's Bhadrak district during the previous 20 years were forced to leave the neighboring state.

They reported something to the police before they left Bhadrak, and as a result, a BJP leader was taken into custody.

After being hurt in the attack, Sairaddin Momin, 45, Rakibaddin Momin, 42, and Manjarul Seikh, 30, left Bhadrak and went back to their homes in Mahisthali village, Samserganj, on Wednesday morning.

They fled the area, leaving behind all they owned, after they were allegedly attacked with a cricket bat on Tuesday night by BJP members. When they refused to present documentation to "prove their Indian citizenship," an attack took place.

Yesterday evening, a few individuals approached us and demanded to see documentation proving our Indian heritage. They beat us with a cricket bat when we questioned them about who they were and why we needed to present our documents. I had serious injuries. Each of us went to the rural police station in Bhadrak and lodged a complaint. Sairaddin, who has been selling goods in Odisha for more than 20 years, stated, "We couldn't take the danger and fled the site, even though the police guaranteed us of action.

Manjarul claimed that the merchants in Charampa village, Odisha, purchased clothing materials and plastic items from Calcutta. "Those are the goods we sell in the nearby communities. We have spent fifteen to twenty years doing this.

Among those who left Odisha on Tuesday night was Manjarul.

According to the locals of Murshidabad, the issue arose a few days ago after two individuals visited them and took a video. The street vendors said that they shared the tape on Facebook, impersonating Bangladeshis, and gave the neighboring nation "critical information."

There were efforts to attack us in locations where we had been selling our goods for years after the video went public. One of the hawkers got very roughed up, and we took all of his stuff. The majority of our 100-strong vendor community in Bhadrak fled their homes out of fear, according to Rakibaddin, who was also hurt in the incident.

"I had just purchased goods worth Rs 5 lakh," sobbed Sairaddin, who had left all of his possessions in Odisha. All of this is in Odisha. I can only make a living by vending. I'm at a loss on what to do now.

When questioned about the event, a Bhadrak superintendent of police officer stated that Sayan Parida, a local BJP leader, had been taken into custody in relation to the assaults on the Murshidabad sellers.

Varun Guntapalli, the Bhadrak SP, stated in an interview with The Telegraph that "strict measures have been requested from local police." These kinds of behavior won't be accepted.

"I shall personally speak to them and apprise the chief minister about the whole incident," declared Khalilur Rahaman, the Trinamul candidate for the Jangipur Lok Sabha seat, expressing outrage at the incident.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.