Mass evictions of people living in slums across cities, using force, allegations of harbouring ‘illegal migrants’ have acquired phenomenal pace in the past few months. Calling out certain demographics, like Muslims and those who speak in Bengali, as non-citizens, mistreating them, and housing them in ‘holding centres’ has made the exercise acquire a menacing character. The Wire reports on people vital to building city infrastructure, living on the margins, now suddenly finding their citizenship challenged.Bhagabanpur (Bengal): Sujon Sarkar says that he has been frail since childhood – prone to catching colds and unable to endure heavy physical labour. His family owns no ancestral land, and he lacks the level of strength required to work as an agricultural labourer. With no viable options near home, the 25-year-old from Basudebpur village in Murshidabad, West Bengal, had travelled to Odisha a couple of months ago, to peddle plastic goods. A father of two, Sujon returned home carrying the weight of humiliation and fear of death after a harrowing ordeal.Sujon arrived in Dhenkanal, Odisha, on June 20. For the first 10 days, everything went smoothly. He roamed from village to village, selling small plastic items and earning an average of Rs 500 daily. On July 1, like any other day, Sujon set out for work in the Denguabadi area. There, a local man called him over. Recounting the incident from the porch of his home in Bhagabanpur, Sujon falters at this point, his voice heavy with shame and indignity.“I thought he needed help,” Sujon recalls. “As I approached, he asked if I was Bangladeshi or Indian. I said I’m Indian. Then he asked if I was Hindu or Muslim. I told him I’m Hindu. But then, he ordered me to strip naked.” Sujon pauses, overwhelmed.His father, Satyaban Sarkar, interrupts, his voice rising with indignation. “Why should this happen? In our village, Hindus and Muslims live in harmony. Just days ago, when unrest broke out in Suti, our village remained untouched. We coexist peacefully. Why must we answer for our religion in our own country?”Regaining his composure, Sujon continues, almost in a whisper. “The man started beating me while I was naked. He struck my back and knees. A crowd gathered, but no one intervened. No one protested.”Sujon’s ordeal didn’t end there. His father reminds him of the interrogation about the Hanuman Chalisa. Sujon explains, “The man demanded I recite the Hanuman Chalisa. I’ve never learned it; it’s not part of our tradition here. When I couldn’t recite it, the beating intensified. He picked up a heavy stone to crush me. Someone finally stepped forward, barely stopping him, and told me to flee. I don’t know how I escaped – I was nearly unconscious. Somehow, I made it back to my rented place on the back of someone’s bike.”According to the Dhenkanal Sadar Police Station, Sujon filed a complaint at the Gaunchapara Police Station, which led to one person’s arrest. However, the accused was soon released. Sujon’s ‘contractor’ – a middle-man of sorts – told him that if he wanted to keep earning, he would need to return to the same area and avoid “antagonising locals.”Sujon was not able to find out anything about his attacker.Worried in the aftermath of the incident, Satyaban pressed for his son’s return. He contacted the contractor, threatening to travel to Dhenkanal himself if arrangements weren’t made. Reluctantly, the contractor arranged a train ticket, and Sujon was sent back home.The ticket that allowed Sujon Sarkar to return to Bengal. Photo: By arrangement.Why do people like Sujon take such risks to work far from home? Sujon’s mother, Shefali Sarkar, explains, “He has two children. We have no land. In Odisha, after covering his expenses, Sujon could send home around Rs 10,000 a month. That’s impossible here. To put food on the table, he has to leave. Our house is half-built. If he works, we can finish the roof.” In West Bengal, the minimum wage for unskilled labor is Rs 9,760 rupees, while it is Rs 12,012 rupees in Odisha and Rs 12,525 rupees in Mumbai, making migration an economic necessity for families like Sujon’s.Sujon knows this harsh reality all too well. Despite the trauma he had endured, when the Migrant Workers’ Solidarity Platform (Parijayee Shramik Aikyamancha) requested his documents and offered verbal assurances of safer work, Sujon set out again on August 4, this time for Nagpur. His new job: sweeping in Nagpur station, with a salary of Rs 15,000 a month and free food and lodging.Drawing on Sujon’s experience, Asif Faruk, secretary of the Migrant Workers’ Solidarity Platform, says, “Migrant workers take immense risks. Village life feels stagnant to them. Working away means free food and lodging, daily cash in hand, and the ability to save or spend as they see fit. We can help injured workers return home, but we are failing to keep them here.”Sujon Sarkar with his family in Bengal. The minors’ faces have been blurred in accordance with the law Photo: Arka Deb.After arriving in Nagpur, Sujon shared a brief update during a quick phone call: “This place is better than the last. I share a room with other Bengali sweepers, and we work on a rotational schedule, managing our own meals. I plan to return home before the Puja.” Sujon is acutely aware that remaining in his village, waiting for safer job opportunities, would prevent him from affording new clothes for his children ahead of the festive season.According to West Bengal government sources, in the past month alone, 146 migrant workers from Murshidabad, like Sujon, have returned after facing harassment at their workplaces. Most cases involve police brutality or theft of phones, making headlines. Sujon’s case stands out for its severity – he was subjected to mob lynching. The narrative that equates Bengalis with Bangladeshis has fostered an ecosystem of hate, and Sujon fell victim to it. No one stepped forward to protest his beating; the crowd offered only silent complicity. Where this hatred leads, Sujon and others like him do not know. All they carry is an unreserved train ticket, a mother’s dream to complete the house, and hope to have a few extra bucks to buy Puja gifts.