Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident on Wednesday night, a migrant labourer from West Bengal was beaten to death by a group of unidentified men in Sambalpur district, allegedly over suspicions of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.
The deceased, identified as Juel Sheikh, 30, was a daily wage labourer who had been working in the area.
According to police, the incident occurred at a tea stall in the Shanti Nagar locality, where Sheikh had stopped after finishing his day’s work, accompanied by three other migrant workers.
A group of four to five unidentified assailants reportedly approached the labourers and demanded identity documents, accusing them of being illegal immigrants. Although the workers presented valid IDs, the attackers allegedly assaulted them. While three labourers managed to escape, Sheikh was caught and brutally beaten, resulting in his death at the scene.
Police arrived after receiving information about the incident and recovered Sheikh’s body.
The three injured labourers were immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Sheikh’s body has been kept at the district headquarters hospital morgue, and his family has been informed.
A post-mortem is expected to be conducted on Thursday. Authorities have initiated a probe to identify and apprehend the attackers.