Detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi, 19 Bengal workers released from Chhattisgarh

Nineteen migrant workers from West Bengal who were detained in Chhattisgarh on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals have been released on Friday (September 18, 2026).

These workers are mostly residents of Murshidabad’s Samserganj and Sahabad areas. They went to Chhattisgarh in search of work, where they have also been selling goods house-to-house in the Bilaspur area.

On September 4, Chhattisgarh police detained at least 23 of them from their residences in Chunchiapara-Ganesh Nagar under Sirgiti police station on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals.

Police said the accused were summoned to the police station multiple times for document verification. But they did not appear.

However, their family members alleged that the police detained them illegally late at night despite possessing all the documents, including Voter cards, Aadhaar cards and PAN cards, that are required as proof of Indian citizenship.