Pune, February 11 After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Thursday that a 24-year-old migrant worker from the state was murdered in Pune for speaking in Bengali, the Pune rural police said he was killed by two people with whom he had an argument while intoxicated.
They said there was no other angle to the incident, which occurred on February 9 evening in Koregaon, under the Shikrapur police station, they said.
"According to preliminary information, the deceased, Mahto, works in a local industry. Before the incident, he left home at 3 pm to go to work. However, instead of going to work, he started wandering around in Koregaon while intoxicated," said inspector Dipratan Gaikwad of the Shikrapur police station.
He said that while in this intoxicated state, he got into an argument with two people.
"Our initial investigation suggests that after this argument, he was allegedly murdered by the two people. We have CCTV footage showing the deceased in a distressed state and arguing with two people. The actual assault was not captured in the CCTV. However, he was allegedly found murdered with a sharp object nearby," Gaikwad said.
The investigation suggests that the murder was a result of a dispute that occurred while intoxicated, and there is no other angle to it, the official said.
"We have registered a case and are searching for the perpetrators," he said.
West Bengal CM Banerjee termed it a "hate crime" and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
In a post on X, she said, "I am deeply saddened, enraged, and sickened by the barbaric murder of Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant worker from Bandwan in Purulia, who was the sole breadwinner of his family, in Pune, Maharashtra."
"This is nothing short of a hate crime. A young man was hunted, tortured, and murdered for his language, his identity, and his roots," she said.
"This is the direct consequence of a climate where xenophobia is weaponized and innocent people are targeted," the CM added.
She demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and exemplary punishment for them.
"To Sukhen's family, I say that West Bengal stands with you in this time of unimaginable grief. We will spare no effort to secure justice," she added.
