Migrant workers held

MALDA, May14: About 35 Malda migrants working as labourers in Mumbai were arrested by Mumbai police a few weeks ago on the charge of being Bangladesh nationals. All efforts by relatives and friends to get them released have proved in vain. It was learnt that the relatives of the arrested Malda migrants had approached Union minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Trinamul Supremo Miss Mamata Banerjee and other leaders who visited Malda for campaigning for help. Finally, the dejected relatives have written to chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee pleading him to rescue the migrants who are in the Maharashtra police’s custody. Hundreds of villagers from Malda migrate to Maharastra, Hariyana, Gujarat, Assam and other states in search of jobs. In a letter to the chief minister, Hasnara Khatun, sister of one of the victims, said her brother had gone to Thane in Maharashtra. They showed a copy of their ration cards and electoral photo identity cards (Epics) to the police as proof of being Malda residents. Yet, they were arrested by the Mumbai police on the charge of being Bangladeshis. It was also alleged that though the Malda district administration issued certificates on behalf of the arrested Malda migrants, as a proof of their being Indian nationals, the Thane administration refused to release them. SNS