Juyel Rana, Migrant Worker Lynched in Odisha Over 'Bangladeshi' Allegation, Was Just 19, Says Relative
New Delhi: A construction worker from West Bengal who was lynched by a mob in Odisha’s Sambalpur on Christmas eve, after allegedly being accused of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant, was 19-year-old Juyel Rana. The victim, one of whose relatives The Wire spoke to on Thursday, had migrated to Sambalpur from Murshidabad and did masonry work at a construction site.
Rana's distant relative – an uncle named Paltu Sheikh – worked with Rana on the same construction project, and also ate with his nephew regularly. He told The Wire, “A group of five men entered Juyel’s rented room and sought his ID cards. They forced him and two other migrant workers to prove their Indian identity.” He said the incident took place on December 24, at around 8 pm.
Before Rana could show the men any documents, they began to assault him. “They hit them with rods and bamboo sticks,” Sheikh said.
Sheikh arrived along with other migrant workers to help rescue the trio, but by then the attackers had fled. “We took them to the hospital, but I think he [Rana] had already succumbed to his injuries,” he said.
The other two migrant workers sustained serious injuries during the attack and are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Sambalpur.
The Wire has been able to confirm through Sheikh, who shared a copy of Rana's Aadhaar card, that the deceased worker was only 19 – not 30 years old – as is being reported. Further, according to Sheikh, Rana and the other workers were not attacked at a tea stall, but in their own home.
Juyel Rana, who was lynched on December 24, 2025.
Sheikh suspects the murder was a reaction to new of the recent lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh. He recalled how a similar situation had arisen earlier following violence in Bangladesh. “We want to go back. We will take the body to our Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
People gather at Juyel Rana's home in West Bengal. Photo: By arrangement.
PTI reported that police have claimed the incident occurred due to an altercation over a bidi. The New Indian Express quoted Inspector General of Police Himanshu Lal as saying that Rana’s murder was “related to sudden provocation” and not a case of “targeting anyone”.
The Wire has reached out to Odisha Police and will add its version whenever a response is received.
This is the second confirmed case this week of peopple being attacked and killed on suspicion of being Bangladeshi. Two days ago, Ramnarayan Baghel, a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, was lynched by a mob in Palakkad, Kerala.
Asif Faruk, state general secretary of the Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch (Migrant Workers Unity Forum) in West Bengal, told The Wire that there has been a sudden spike in violence against Bengali migrants, and that there is a clear pattern to it. “It started after the Pahalgam attack,” he said. “Then there was an MHA [Union Ministry of Home Affairs] order. We saw police rounding up migrants all over India, especially in Gurugram. Many were wrongfully deported. And now – these two killings.”
“For the violence to stop, the MHA notification needs to be immediately quashed,” Faruk said.
Samirul Islam, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament who heads the West Bengal Migrant Labourer Welfare Board, wrote on X:
Once again Bengali spekaing migrant workers targeted in BJP-ruled state.
In Odisha's Sambalpur one from Murshidabad lynched to death and two others injured after BJP goons attacked them & labelled them as Bangladeshi infiltrators.
How many lives of innocent Bengali speaking…
— Samirul Islam (@SamirulAITC) December 25, 2025
Reacting to the killing, the Trinamool Congress released a statement on X saying, “The lynching of a Bengali migrant worker in Sambalpur is the direct outcome of @BJP4India’s sustained campaign against Bengalis...”
While Bengal embraces every faith with a message of harmony, people in @BJP4India-ruled states are being threatened and assaulted simply for celebrating Christmas.
Those who obstruct the freedom to celebrate festivals can never claim to stand for public welfare or humanity.… pic.twitter.com/IGqPAk1kDL
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) December 25, 2025
Sheikh’s lynching occurs days after Chhattisgarh native Ramnarayan was beaten to death in Kerala’s Palakkad district by a group of people who accused him of theft. In a video of the incident that took place on December 17, Ramnarayan, who had moved to the southern state in search of work, was reportedly heard being asked by his assailants if he was from Bangladesh and being called Bangladeshi.
Kerala police have arrested seven people in connection with Ramnarayan’s lynching. Reports cited police as saying they would invoke provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after verifying that Ramnarayan was Dalit.
The Sambalpur killing has occurred against the backdrop of growing prejudice in India targeting people deemed to be ‘undocumented Bangladeshis’, as well as a spate of deportations over such accusations, including of people with appeals pending – and some who were subsequently returned to India after waging intense legal battles.
This article went live on December twenty-fifth, two thousand twenty five, at twenty-six minutes past three in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
