Bhubaneswar: A row erupted today after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Krishnanagar, Mahua Moitra, posted a video on social media platform 'X' demanding the immediate release of 23 migrant workers from West Bengal allegedly detained in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district.

Responding to the allegations, Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Himanshu Kumar Lal clarified the detained individuals lacked valid documents to establish their Indian citizenship. He said their identities are currently being verified.

Moitra claimed in her post the 23 workers, residents of Nadia district in West Bengal, had been detained illegally. She warned if the Odisha Police failed to release them immediately, she would file 23 habeas corpus petitions in court. She also tagged the Odisha Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police in her post.

A habeas corpus petition is a legal mechanism used to challenge the legality of a person's detention. It requests the court to summon the custodian and examine whether the detention is lawful.

Moitra further alleged such incidents of illegal detention were unheard of during BJD President Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year tenure, but have become a "daily occurrence" over the past one year.

In a detailed clarification posted on 'X', IGP Lal stated the detentions were being handled with due process and national security as the primary concern. He emphasised the individuals are being held in designated facilities with access to food, water, hygiene, and medical care.

“This is not an action targeting any community or region,” Lal wrote, adding, “It is a lawful procedure to ensure the security of the nation. Those with valid documents are already being released or are in the process of returning to their places of residence.”