Bengali is one of the 22 official languages recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. To label it as foreign is to deny the cultural and constitutional reality of India, the party said
NEW DELHI — The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday strongly condemned the letter issued by the Delhi Police that erroneously identifies Bengali as a “Bangladeshi language.” The Polit Bureau demanded unconditional apology from the Union Home Ministry as the Delhi Police come under its purview.
The CPI(M) said that the letter not only reflects a deeply troubling mindset within the police force but also exposes a pattern of targeting Bengali-speaking individuals under the pretext of identifying “illegal” Bangladeshi immigrants.
According to the press note, such an action demonstrates both ignorance and prejudice. There is only one Bengali language, with its own rich literary heritage and distinct script. Bengali is one of the 22 official languages recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. To label it as foreign is to deny the cultural and constitutional reality of India.
The Delhi Police, functioning directly under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, are in blatant violation of constitutional provisions by equating an Indian language with that of a foreign nation. This reflects the discriminatory approach of the Home Ministry under Amit Shah, who has repeatedly shown contempt for Bengali-speaking people, the party said.
This incident is not an isolated lapse. It is part of a larger, more sinister campaign by the BJP-led central government to portray Bengali speakers—especially the poor and working-class migrants—as “infiltrators,” simply because they share a language spoken in a neighbouring country. Across several states, Bengali-speaking citizens have faced systematic harassment. Many have been detained without cause, subjected to torture, and in some cases even deported without due legal process, it said.
The CPI(M) demanded an immediate end to this harassment of Bengali-speaking citizens. The Union Home Ministry must issue an apology for this outrageous identification of Bengali as a foreign language and take strict action against the officials responsible.
