Horror as construction labourer lynched by vicious gang on suspicion of being a migrant
The man was rushed to hospital by his friends, but was declared dead on arrival by doctors.
A labourer has been beaten to death in a public lynching by a vicious gang, who mistook him for a migrant. Two of his co-workers were also attacked and injured in the terrifying incident, which has sent shockwaves through the migrant community in India.
The incident occurred on Christmas Eve in the western province of Odisha, where many Bangladeshis work as labourers. Jewel Sheikh, 30, from Chakbahadurpur village in West Bengal, was sitting drinking tea with his fellow workers in Sambalpur, when they were approached by a gang of men, who initially asked for a cigarette. They then demanded to see the workers' Indian ID cards before they launched their brutal attack.
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“We were at a tea stall," one of the construction workers, Paltu Sheikh, told journalists.
"A group of people asked for a bidi (hand-rolled cigarette) from Jewel. Then they started asking for Aadhaar (ID) cards and wanted to know where we were from.
"We showed our Aadhaar cards. Suddenly, the group, armed with bamboo sticks, started beating us. Jewel was hit on the head. Some others were also injured.”
Jewel was rushed to the hospital by his friends, but was declared dead on arrival by doctors. His friends are waiting for the post-mortem to be carried out before taking him home to his family.
Jewel's mother told the Indian Express that her son had worked as a stone mason for three months.
His uncle Riaqul Haque added: "We never imagined our boy would be beaten to death on suspicion of being Bangladeshi.
"We are poor people. Jewel went there for daily wages of Rs 600.”
Police have denied the attack was racially motivated, claiming it started as a result of a dispute and say they have arrested six people in connection with the incident.
“The incident occurred over a demand for bidi," Additional Superintendent of Police Srimanta Barik said. "A group suddenly attacked the Bengali migrant workers after they refused. We have arrested six people and are identifying whether more were involved."
