W.B. workers take up pujo work in city amid fear of action against illegal immigrants

Several artisans and workers from West Bengal, who come to Delhi-NCR every year for Durga Puja pandal construction and religious performances, said they were hesitant to pick up work this time, fearing “harassment or mistreatment”, but did so only for the “sake of livelihood”.

They said their fear stemmed from a Delhi Police drive to identify “illegal” Bangladeshi staying in the Capital. During the drive, several cases of alleged “incorrect identification” and “harassment” surfaced.

Madhob Das, 48, from Birbhum, West Bengal, had come to Delhi for decoration work of a Durga Puja pandal at Chittaranjan Park’s A-Block. “I have a team of over 50 people who come with me to work at several pandals in Delhi and Noida. Unlike previous years, the workers have been skeptical about travelling to Delhi-NCR, fearing mistreatment by the authorities,” said Mr. Das.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the work, Mr. Das had asked all his team members to carry all necessary documents, including identity proofs, with them and had also kept a copy of their documents with himself. “The ordeal of Bengali migrants in Delhi-NCR is known to all of us hailing from the small towns of Bengal. So, when I accepted the work offer, I made it mandatory for all to carry all documents,” he added.

Jana Mondal, 52, a dhaki (drum) player, who will be performing at another pandal in C.R. Park, said the Haryana police had questioned his cousin and sister-in-law earlier this year, “suspecting” them to be Bangladeshi. “Despite such fears, my musical group and I travelled to Delhi only for the sake of livelihood,” said Mr. Mondal, who hails from South 24 Parganas. He said that the five-day work at Durga Puja earns them ₹40,000.

Another dhaki player, Nurul Sheikh, 34, said he was ready to take up work in Delhi but not in Noida. “I have been coming to Delhi since the age of seven. Despite good offers, I have stopped taking work in Noida, fearing harassment,” said Mr. Sheikh.

A resident of Malda, West Bengal, Mr. Sheikh said that a person’s religion does not matter in his village when it comes to participating in Durga Puja. “Now, we take bookings only from a family in Delhi, who have roots to our village and don’t mistreat us,” he said.

A Durga Puja organiser in Delhi, who wishes to remain anonymous, told The Hindu that several workers coming from Bengal enquire whether they need to share identity cards well in advance