The recent detention of migrant labourers from West Bengal’s Nadia district by Chhattisgarh police in Kondagaon district of Bastar region has caused a furore with Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra calling it “State-sponsored terrorism and kidnapping by the Chhattisgarh government, police.”
Countering these claims, the police said that the nine men were detained on July 12 under preventive provisions because they were staying in the district for a prolonged period without providing their documents that the law mandates, and were let off on Monday (July 14, 2025).
On a video that she posted on X, Ms. Moitra said that Chhattisgarh Police had detained the nine men, all residents of her constituency (Krishnanagar, West Bengal), despite them having gone with a labour contractor with full documentation and verification, and neither their families nor the Government of West Bengal were informed.
She further added that even after they were released according to the police, there was no mobile phone contact with them. The Hindu independently dialled two of the detained men Manirul Islam Mondal and Sayan S.K. on late Monday evening but their phones were found switched off. Claiming that the Kondagaon Superintendent of Police (SP) told her that he didn’t want the workers there, the Trinamool MP asked why Indian citizens who were doing legal work needed to leave the State?
On these allegations, Kondagaon SP Akshay Kumar told The Hindu that the workers were residing in Kondagaon for the past three months but had not informed the local police station despite repeated announcements by the local police. “Day before yesterday, we found them during patrolling. When we asked for their names and IDs they did not produce and started misbehaving with us. So we prepared a memorandum and produced them before the local SDM (Deputy Collector) and he had proceeded them for preventive detention under Bharatiya Nyay section 128 (Security for good behaviour from suspected persons) for two to three days”.
He said they had been let off and it was up to them if they wanted to stay in Kondagaon or go back to West Bengal.
