Gurugram police intensify crackdown on illegal immigrants, Bangla-speaking workers fear arrest

Anju Khatun, who claims to be from West Bengal, was visibly terrified as she recounted the ordeal she faced earlier this week while frantically searching for her husband at the holding centers set up by the Gurugram Police for illegal immigrants. She is not alone; several Bengali-speaking individuals are fearful due to the police’s ongoing drive to identify illegal immigrants. Many allege that the police are specifically targeting Bengali-speaking people.

According to police sources, the drive, which has been ongoing for the past week, has resulted in more than 250 suspected individuals being sent to holding areas where their documents are being verified. A senior police officer stated that a verification process is being conducted to identify illegal immigrants and dismissed claims that migrant workers from West Bengal and Assam were being targeted and detained.

The drive has visibly impacted sanitation work, with garbage accumulating across the Millennium City. Many sanitation workers, who speak Bengali, have stopped showing up for work out of fear that they may be detained at the holding centers for domicile verification.

”My husband went to clean cars at a residential society in Sector 56 on Monday when the police took him. It was late evening when I learned that he was in a holding center,” said Khatun, a resident of a slum in Sector 56. ”It was only after I reached the center with our Aadhaar cards and other documents that the police released my husband. We are from West Bengal and have been living in Gurugram for the past five years,” she added.

Sources claimed that more than 20 people from Assam’s Dhubri were kept in the community center at Sector-10 by the police for five days before being released on Wednesday. Jahanur Islam, who has been collecting garbage in the city for 10 years, said the police nabbed them five days ago. ”We were not told why we were being held. All those nabbed collect garbage from houses around Kankarola and Panchgaon villages,” Islam said.

The senior officer mentioned that police have identified eight illegal immigrants, suspected to be from Bangladesh, during the drive so far, and further verifications are being conducted. ”We are following the Centre’s guidelines on suspected illegal immigrants. We are not detaining them, but they are being kept in ’holding areas’ until the verification process is completed, and accordingly, we are letting them go,” DCP (Headquarters), Gurugram, Arpit Jain told PTI over the phone on Thursday.

”The only purpose of keeping them in the holding area is to prevent any illegal immigrant from escaping,” he said, adding that four holding areas have been set up under as many police zones in Gurugram. Police stated that these holding areas have been established at community centers in Badshahpur, Sector 10A, Sector 40, and Sector 1 in Manesar. On Tuesday, the administration appointed naib tehsildars as in charge of these centers.

”Under the guidelines of the Home Ministry, four holding centers have been created. All basic necessities, including medical facilities, are being provided at the centers. Those who have been verified have been allowed to leave. More than 50 people have been kept in each holding center, where their documents are being checked. Everyone will be released after the investigation,” said Sandeep Kumar, the spokesperson of Gurugram Police.

The DCP stated that Gurugram Police conducts drives throughout the year to identify illegal immigrants. Those found overstaying, illegally staying, or without valid documents are deported, he said. Regarding the current drive, Jain mentioned that details of every suspected person are being sent to the district magistrate or the deputy commissioner in the concerned state for verification. ”When we receive a report from there, we take further action based on its findings,” he said.

What Happened

Anju Khatun from West Bengal recounted her fear while searching for her husband at Gurugram Police’s holding centres for illegal immigrants. The police have been conducting a drive for the past week to identify illegal immigrants, resulting in over 250 people being sent to holding areas for document verification. The drive has caused sanitation workers, mostly Bengali-speaking, to stop working due to fear of being detained. Police have identified eight suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are following the Centre’s guidelines, with four holding areas set up in Gurugram for verification purposes.

Tell Me More

• Gurugram Police have set up holding centres to verify the documents of suspected illegal immigrants, following guidelines from the Home Ministry.

• The drive has led to the detention of over 250 individuals, causing fear among Bengali-speaking communities who feel targeted.

• The verification process has disrupted sanitation services in Gurugram, as many sanitation workers are avoiding work due to fear of detention.

• Police have identified eight illegal immigrants suspected to be from Bangladesh during the drive, with further verifications ongoing.

• Holding centres have been established in community centres across Gurugram, providing basic necessities and medical facilities to detainees.

The Voices

• “My husband had gone to clean cars at a residential society in Sector 56 on Monday when the police took him with them. It was in the late evening that I got to know that he was in a holding centre,” said Anju Khatun.

• “It was only after I reached the centre with our Aadhaar cards and other documents that the police released my husband. We are from West Bengal and have been staying in Gurugram for the past five years,” said Anju Khatun.

• “We were not told why we were being held. All those nabbed collect garbage from houses around Kankarola and Panchgaon villages,” said Jahanur Islam.

• “We are following the Centre’s guidelines on suspected illegal immigrants. We are not detaining them, but they are being kept in ’holding areas’ till the verification process is completed, and, accordingly, we are letting them go,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters), Gurugram.

• “The only purpose of keeping them in the holding area is so that any illegal immigrant may not escape,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters), Gurugram.

• “Under the guidelines of the Home Ministry, four holding centres have been created. All basic necessities, including medical facilities, are being provided to them at the centres. Those people who have been verified have been allowed to go. More than 50 people have been kept in each holding centre, where their documents are being checked. Everyone will be released after the investigation,” said Sandeep Kumar, spokesperson of Gurugram Police.

• “When we receive a report from there, we take further action based on what it says,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters), Gurugram.

Context

Gurugram, a city in the Indian state of Haryana, has been conducting a drive to identify and verify the documents of suspected illegal immigrants. This initiative is part of broader efforts by Indian authorities to manage immigration and ensure that individuals residing in the country have valid documentation. The drive has led to the temporary detention of many Bengali-speaking individuals, raising concerns among the local migrant community.

The verification process involves detaining individuals in holding centers until their documents can be verified. This has caused significant anxiety among migrant workers, many of whom are from West Bengal and Assam. The fear of being detained has disrupted essential services like sanitation, as many workers have stopped showing up for work. The police have emphasized that they are following guidelines from the Home Ministry and are not targeting any specific community.

The situation highlights the broader issue of internal migration within India, where people from poorer states move to more prosperous regions in search of better job opportunities. The drive in Gurugram reflects ongoing tensions and challenges in managing this internal migration, balancing security concerns with the rights and livelihoods of migrant workers.