‘Centre ordered Bengali migrants to be detained’

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that a “secretly issued” notification from the Centre directing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states to detain whoever they suspect led to the alleged detention of Bangla-speaking migrants in those states, describing it as “more than an emergency”.

- Tanmay Chatterjee

Addressing a public meeting after leading a protest march from College Square to Dorina Crossing in Kolkata against the alleged torture of Bangla-speaking people in BJP-ruled states, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief warned the BJP of dire political consequences if it did not put an immediate stop to such actions.

“The central government secretly issued a notification in February and sent it to BJP-ruled states asking them to arrest Bangla-speaking people. The notification says anyone can be kept in a detention camp for a month. We will challenge that notification. This is more than an Emergency. Its illegal detention,” Banerjee said.