A serious humanitarian crisis is developing in Gurugram, Haryana, where thousands of Bengali-origin Muslim migrant workers are leaving the city in fear. Many say they are being illegally detained, abused, and targeted by the police because of their language and religion.
Reports suggest that over 200 people, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslim workers, have been taken into custody over the past week. They are allegedly being kept in temporary centers set up in community halls in areas such as Badshahpur, Sector 10A, Sector 40, and Sector 1 in Manesar. Families say they have no information about why their relatives were detained, where they are being held, or what legal action is being taken.
These workers, who come from different districts of West Bengal, have lived in Gurugram for decades. They work in construction, factories, domestic jobs, cleaning, driving, and rag picking. Activists say that despite being Indian citizens with documents like Aadhaar cards and voter IDs, they are now being accused of being “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.”
One worker described how he and 12 others were picked up suddenly from Shakkarpur village, saying, “They didn’t tell us anything. They took our phones, switched them off, and didn’t let us call our families. We were moved between police posts and then locked in a community hall in Sector 31. We were kept there for three days. It felt like they were punishing us just for being Muslims.”
He added, “When we asked for food, one officer said, ‘Tum log roza nahi rakhte ho, tumhe kya khaane ki padi hai?’ (You people don’t fast—why do you even care about food?). The food they gave was stale. If anyone asked for help, they were beaten.”
A local leader said, “There was no arrest memo, no explanation, no information about why they were picked up. Just fear.”
According to activists, entire settlements are emptying as people run back to West Bengal, afraid they might be detained or attacked. “People who have been living here for 20–30 years, who have ration cards and voter IDs, are now being hunted and called outsiders,” said activist Nadeem Khan. “This is not law enforcement. This is communal profiling, plain and simple.”
Another activist, Laiq Ahmed Khan, said, “The state is acting outside the law, using people’s identity as a weapon. Entire localities are empty. This is ethnic displacement happening right now.”
Lawyer M. Huzaifa, who is helping affected families, added, “This city was built by their hard work, and now it’s treating them like criminals. They are being made to feel stateless in their own country.”
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has demanded an independent judicial inquiry, the release of those detained, action against the police officers involved, compensation for families, and public clarity on what rules or orders are being used to carry out this drive.
