Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Odisha government, alleging the illegal detention of two migrant workers from her Krishnanagar constituency—Robiul Sheikh and Mohir Munshi—despite their documents being fully verified. According to Moitra, the two men are being held solely because their phones contained Bangladeshi phone numbers.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Moitra called the detention “extra-constitutional” and accused the Odisha police of misusing national security concerns to target innocent workers. “Their documents are okay. Everything is okay. On their phone, they had a Bangladeshi phone number, which is why they are not being released,” she stated in the video, warning that legal action would follow if the workers were not released immediately.
The MP also criticized the lack of cooperation between state police forces, alleging that the Superintendent of Police in Jharsuguda was refusing to take calls from his counterpart in West Bengal’s Nadia district. She highlighted the breakdown of inter-state communication, calling it an alarming indicator of rising authoritarianism and disregard for the law.
Mocking the rationale behind the arrests, Moitra said, “If storing a phone number of anyone in Bangladesh is a crime in this country, then I too should be detained. Even BCCI officials, who have contacts in Bangladesh, would fall under this logic.” She added that she had friends and family in Bangladesh and argued that having a foreign number in one’s phone cannot be grounds for detention in a democracy.
Moitra concluded her statement by warning the Odisha authorities that the matter was not going to end quietly. “You will really have to pay a heavy price for this because we will drag you to court,” she said, reiterating that the Calcutta High Court had already reprimanded officials on this issue.
