"India's Call to Eliminate Linguistic Bias: A Movement for Equality in Speech"
In recent months, there have been increasing reports of discrimination against Bengali-speaking Indians across several states, raising significant concerns about freedom of movement, equality, and cultural rights.
Historically, the Bengali language and people have faced deep-rooted conflicts, particularly in Assam, where language-based conflicts have led to violence and discrimination. Today, Bengali migrant laborers, often from marginalized communities, face suspicion and harassment in states like Assam, Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha, and others, with authorities frequently labeling them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh despite documented Indian citizenship.
Recent incidents of police crackdowns, detentions, and even deportations of Bengali-speaking workers have been reported, particularly targeting groups like the Matua community. These actions violate constitutional rights, such as Article 19(1)(d) which guarantees the freedom to move and reside anywhere in India, and Article 14 which ensures equality before the law.
Eminent voices, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, have condemned the harassment and emphasized the constitutional guarantee that all Indians have the right to live and work anywhere in the country. The discrimination also undermines the linguistic dignity and cultural rights of Bengali speakers, as many work in essential blue-collar roles across India.
The Union government has a duty to protect the rights of bona fide citizens of India, not at the expense of identifying and sending back illegal immigrants. However, some BJP-led state governments have started campaigns to take discriminatory positions against Bengali-speaking Indian citizens, often under the pretext of mistaking them for Bangladeshi infiltrators.
The West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is leading a language movement against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking workers outside their home state. The Haryana government, for instance, has been regularly detaining Bengali-speaking migrant laborers for interrogation despite their valid documents. Similar instances have been reported in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
The Union government's actions may be in violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. In Odisha, the BJP government has arrested 447 Bengali-speaking migrant workers in June and July this year, with some still in custody despite having valid identity documents. The experiences of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other cities, such as Vasant Kunj, include targeted evictions, electricity and water supply cuts, and routine harassment by police.
The discrimination against Bengali-speaking Indians is a multi-state issue involving historical tensions, contemporary xenophobia, and serious constitutional violations. It calls for urgent legal and policy interventions to uphold constitutional values and protect the linguistic and cultural dignity of Bengali speakers across India.
Most importantly, the Union government must understand the importance of preserving the idea of unity in diversity in India. The constitutional implications also extend to language rights under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which recognizes Bengali as a scheduled language. The harassment of Bengali speakers not only violates constitutional protections but also disrupts social cohesion and economic stability.
The Union government must realize that profiling citizens based on language is undemocratic, unacceptable, and dangerous. It is crucial for the government to take immediate action to address these issues and ensure that all citizens are treated equally and with respect, regardless of their language or ethnicity.
- The ongoing discrimination against Bengali-speaking Indians across several states raises concerns about policy and legislation that address war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and politics, particularly in terms of upholding constitutional rights and preserving the idea of unity in diversity.
- The general news about the treatment of Bengali-speaking migrant laborers in India not only highlights historic language-based tensions and contemporary xenophobia but also brings to light the need for urgent intervention in war-and-conflicts, policy-and-legislation, and politics to uphold constitutional values and protect linguistic and cultural dignity.
