Migrant worker from West Bengal lynched in Odisha, six arrested

A 30-year-old migrant labourer from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district was lynched in Odisha’s Sambalpur on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. Six persons have been arrested for the killing.

The victim, Jewel Sheikh, hailed from Murshidabad’s Chakbahadurpur village, and was working as a labourer in Odisha’s Sambalpur.

While his co-workers and family members alleged that he was attacked on suspicion of being an undocumented immigrant from Bangladesh, the Odisha Police denied this and claimed that the victim and the persons accused in his lynching knew each other.

The assault took place in the Shantinagar area late Wednesday evening when Jewel Sheikh and other construction workers were returning from work, The Indian Express reported.

Paltu Sheikh, who was also with Jewel Sheikh and is from Murshidabad, said that the group was at a tea stall.

He added that another group of men asked for a beedi from Jewel Sheikh.

“Then they started asking for Aadhaar cards and wanted to know where we were from,” The Indian Express quoted Paltu Sheikh as saying. “We showed our Aadhaar cards. Suddenly, the group, armed with bamboo sticks, started beating us. Jewel was hit on the head. Some others were injured.”

Paltu Sheikh said that Jewel Sheikh was taken to a hospital but doctors declared him dead. Two other workers, Akir Sheikh and Palash Sheikh, were also...

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