India, Sept. 8 -- In the weeks leading up to and following India's 79th Independence Day (August 15, 2025), thousands of Bengali-speaking migrant workers-many of whom are Indian citizens-found themselves entangled in a harsh irony. They were questioned, detained, and in numerous cases forcibly pushed into Bangladesh, largely on the mere pretext of speaking Bengali.

This phenomenon, particularly rampant across BJP-ruled states, reflects a confluence of surveillance of identity, electoral manoeuvring, and cultural marginalisation. The situation of Bengali Migrants working in different cities and places of India, especially in the BJP-ruled states, is pathetic. Many, out of fear and threat, have returned to Bengal. Many, without verificatio...