Protests in Murshidabad over attacks on migrant workers disrupt national highway

Residents in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district blocked National Highway 12 on Friday, bringing traffic to a standstill as they protested against alleged attacks on migrant workers from the area in other states.

The blockade took place at Maheshpur in the Beldanga I block from around 9 am, with protesters burning tyres and sitting on the carriageway. The disruption caused long traffic queues on the busy route, which links northern parts of West Bengal with the state’s southern cities.

According to police, the demonstrators accused authorities of failing to protect migrant workers from Murshidabad, who they said were being targeted and harassed outside the state, particularly for speaking Bengali.

Some protesters claimed that workers were being wrongly labelled as Bangladeshis, leading to repeated incidents of violence and intimidation.

“We want strict punishment for those involved in these attacks,” one protester said. “Our people are being targeted simply for their language.”

The agitation was triggered by reports of the death of a Murshidabad resident who had travelled to Jharkhand in search of work. Protesters demanded swift and stringent action against those responsible, immediate compensation for the victim’s family, and the creation of a permanent administrative mechanism to ensure the safety of migrant labourers from the district.

Senior police officers arrived at the site and held several rounds of talks with the protesters in an effort to persuade them to lift the blockade. However, the demonstrators remained firm, refusing to clear the highway unless senior administrative officials visited the spot and offered concrete assurances.

As negotiations continued, traffic remained severely affected, adding pressure on authorities to address the protesters’ demands and restore normal movement on the key highway.

With PTI inputs