Gurugram, July 25: A police verification drive to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has triggered mass panic and a rapid exodus of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from Gurugram. Entire settlements lie vacated as hundreds flee overnight, fearing arbitrary detention.
Most of the migrants claim they are from West Bengal’s Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, Cooch Behar, and Dinajpur districts. Many allege they are being targeted simply for their dialects.
“My brother was picked up from a scrap yard and taken to Manesar Community Centre despite having Aadhaar and Voter ID photos on his phone. The police insisted on hard copies. He asked us to return to Bengal and send the papers through his employer,” said Bhupin Sheikh, who left Gurugram on July 20 with 30 others, paying Rs 50,000 for a private bus.
The exodus has led to a visible labour shortage in households and construction sites. Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar confirmed the panic: “We are flooded with maid crisis calls. Contractors and RWAs are coming to vouch for workers. But social media rumours and inflated numbers have created unnecessary fear.”
Police claim only 25 people are currently being held for verification. However, detainees say over 200 are being held, and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims the figure is at least 52.
Banerjee has strongly criticised the BJP-led Haryana administration, saying, “If the BJP thinks it can delete voter names and win elections like it did in Delhi and Maharashtra, it is making a big mistake. These are Indian citizens, and it’s our duty to protect them.”
The Bengal government has mobilised police and local bodies to verify documents of those detained. Gurugram DC Ajay Kumar said efforts were being made to ensure no one is harassed.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra escalated the matter further, saying, “Gurugram has become Nazi Germany. These are cooks and maids, not criminals. They are being terrorised and threatened with deportation. This is a human rights crisis.”
Police, however, maintained that only “suspicious individuals” are being picked up, and after verification from their claimed home districts, they are released. “So far, we have identified 10 illegal immigrants and updated the MHA,” said Sandeep Kumar.
As the political storm intensifies, Gurugram’s economy reels under the sudden loss of its informal workforce.
