A Muslim migrant worker was beaten to death in India’s Odisha state after being falsely accused of being a Bangladeshi national. The incident took place around 8:30 pm on Wednesday evening in the Shantinagar area of Sambalpur city. The victim was identified as Jewel Sheikh (30), a resident of West Bengal who worked as a daily wage laborer.

According to police and local sources, Jewel Sheikh was standing at a tea stall after finishing his day’s work, accompanied by three other migrant workers. At that time, a group of four to five unidentified individuals belonging to an extremist mob arrived and began interrogating the workers.

The attackers accused the workers of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and demanded to see their identity documents. Although the workers produced valid identification, the attackers dismissed them as “fake” and launched a violent assault.

While the other three workers managed to escape, Jewel Sheikh was caught by the mob. He was brutally beaten and died on the spot from his injuries. After the attack, the assailants fled the area.

A police officer said, “The victim was subjected to a brutal assault and died at the scene. We have recovered the body and sent it to the district headquarters hospital morgue. His family has been informed.”

The injured workers were admitted to hospital for treatment. Police said a post-mortem examination will be conducted on Thursday.

The officer added, “A case has been registered and an investigation is underway to identify and arrest those responsible.”

Earlier, a similar incident in Kerala last week sparked widespread outrage across India. A Hindu worker was beaten to death after being suspected of being ‘Bangladeshi.’ The victim, Ramnarayan Baghel (31), was a resident of Chhattisgarh who had traveled to Palakkad district in Kerala in search of work. He belonged to the Dalit community. Kerala police have so far arrested five suspects in connection with the killing, and operations are ongoing to locate others involved. Although the murder occurred last week, details emerged in the media over the weekend, triggering nationwide condemnation.