Cooch Behar, June 29 -- Seven residents of Dinhata-once part of the former India-Bangladesh enclaves-have reportedly been detained by Delhi Police on suspicion of being illegal immigrants, allegedly for speaking Bengali. Among the detainees are a woman and three children. The incident has sparked outrage and panic in their families in Dinhata, Cooch Behar district.

According to family members, the group had migrated to Delhi for work at a brick kiln. On Wednesday, Delhi Police detained eight individuals from the group. While one has since been released, the remaining seven-despite possessing valid Indian identity documents-continue to be held. The families assert that all the detainees had legally acquired Indian citizenship on July 31, 2015, under the India-Bangladesh enclave exchange agreement.

They were issued voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards and other official documentation by the Central government. Despite this, the families claim that every time they travel to another state for work, they face harassment-often simply for speaking Bengali.

Azima Begum, wife of detained worker Shamsul Haque, said: "My husband, his brother and others had gone to Delhi for work. On Wednesday, police picked them up. It has been five days and there is still no news of their release. We are living in fear." Allegations have also emerged that the detainees were not only wrongfully held but also subjected to physical abuse. The families are demanding their immediate release and an end to what they describe as systematic profiling of Bengali-speaking Indian citizens in other states. North Bengal Development minister Udayan Guha expressed serious concern over the matter. "All of them are former enclave residents who became Indian citizens through a legitimate agreement between India and Bangladesh.

They hold valid documents issued by the Indian government. Detaining them on such baseless grounds is a violation of their rights as Indian citizens and undermines the spirit of the enclave agreement," he said. "Such acts appear to be deliberate attempts to intimidate them."

The incident has raised broader questions about the treatment of linguistic and ethnic minorities across state borders and the challenges faced by former enclave residents in asserting their

rightful citizenship.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.