Overview
- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told the state Assembly on Monday that Bengali will be mandatory for state government communications beginning September 1, 2026.
- Adhikari read a letter from Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging wider use of Bengali across file noting, departmental orders, digital platforms and public messaging.
- The directive requires correspondence with the central government to be in Bengali and Hindi instead of the routine use of English, and will extend to police and citizen-facing services such as FIRs and complaint registration.
- The state says it will use the next one and a half months to translate documents and change processes before implementation, but full operational details and department-level rules are still being prepared.
- Officials frame the move as a manifesto pledge to preserve Bengali culture and say they may seek wider recognition for the language internationally, with implications for translation capacity, intergovernmental workflows and public access to services.