📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Awasithiski
Crime
23 Workers Detained in Bilaspur Over Alleged Bangladeshi Identity
✍️ The Quint
🗓 09 Sep 2026, 11:33 AM
👁 22
Police in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, detained 23 laborers they claimed were illegal Bangladeshi nationals, sparking debate over language‑based profiling.
Bilaspur police in Chhattisgarh took into custody 23 workers on the grounds that they were illegal Bangladeshi nationals. The detainees were apprehended during a routine check at a construction site, according to statements released by the local authorities.
Witnesses say the men were speaking Bengali when they were stopped, prompting the police to label them as foreigners. The incident has ignited a discussion on whether language alone is being used as a marker for illegal immigration, echoing the rhetorical question, "Is speaking Bengali a crime?"
No formal charges have been disclosed, and the police have not provided details on the legal basis for the arrests. Rights groups and community leaders have called for transparency, urging that any action be based on documented evidence rather than linguistic profiling.
The 23 detainees remain in police custody while investigations continue, and families have been seeking clarification about the allegations and the next steps in the legal process.
Witnesses say the men were speaking Bengali when they were stopped, prompting the police to label them as foreigners. The incident has ignited a discussion on whether language alone is being used as a marker for illegal immigration, echoing the rhetorical question, "Is speaking Bengali a crime?"
No formal charges have been disclosed, and the police have not provided details on the legal basis for the arrests. Rights groups and community leaders have called for transparency, urging that any action be based on documented evidence rather than linguistic profiling.
The 23 detainees remain in police custody while investigations continue, and families have been seeking clarification about the allegations and the next steps in the legal process.