Kolkata” In yet another shocking episode of what many are calling violent “Bengali-phobia”, a 27-year-old migrant worker from Sandeshkhali, North 24-Parganas, was left grievously injured after being attacked at Tatanagar railway station in Jharkhand on Saturday — allegedly for speaking in Bengali.

Tapchhel Jamadar, along with several other youths from Boyramari village, had just arrived at Tatanagar on their way to a construction job in Jamshedpur. Witnesses said a group of local youths pounced on them, hurling abuses and branding them as “Bangladeshis” before launching a brutal assault with sticks and sharp weapons.

While several were injured, Tapchhel suffered the worst blows. After receiving preliminary treatment in Jamshedpur, he was shifted to Calcutta on Sunday night for further care.

The incident has sparked fear and anger in Boyramari, where families of migrant workers say they now live under constant anxiety. “We migrate for honest work. Why should speaking our language make us targets?” a family member asked in anguish, appealing directly to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure justice.

The Bengal government recently launched Shramashree, a rehabilitation scheme for workers forced to return home after alleged persecution in other states on account of “Bengali-phobia”.

The package promises financial aid, ration, health insurance, and schooling for children. Mamata has claimed that over 10,000 workers have already come back in recent months due to harassment in NDA-ruled states, where she alleges a “linguistic apartheid” is taking root.

She has also linked the issue to what she terms a “backdoor NRC” being carried out through the Election Commission’s intensive revision of electoral rolls — calling it a conspiracy to disenfranchise the poor and marginalised who traditionally oppose the BJP.

As Tapchhel battles his injuries, his village seethes with grief and fear — another reminder of the growing insecurities faced by Bengali migrant workers outside their home state.