Migrant worker lynched on suspicion of being Bangladeshi immigrant in Sambalpur

Bhubaneswar: A migrant labourer from West Bengal was beaten to death by a group of unidentified assailants who accused him of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant in Sambalpur district on Wednesday night.

The deceased has been identified as Juel Sheikh (30), a daily wage labourer who had been working in the area.

The incident took place at a tea stall in Shanti Nagar area of the city. Sheikh had stopped at the stall after finishing his work for the day, along with three other migrant labourers.

A group of four to five unidentified persons arrived at the tea shop and confronted the labourers, accusing them of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The assailants demanded identity documents from the group.

Though the labourers produced valid IDs, the attackers began assaulting them, police said. While three managed to escape, the assailants caught hold of Sheikh and brutally thrashed him. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot, after which the attackers fled.

Police reached the scene after being informed and seized the body. The injured labourers were shifted to hospital for treatment.

The body has been kept at district headquarters hospital morgue and Sheikh’s family has been informed, a police officer said. The post-mortem is likely to be conducted on Thursday. Police have launched an investigation to identify and trace the attackers.