Latest news with #Bangladeshis
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘We are from West Bengal, why do police think we're Bangladeshis?': Verification drive in Gurgaon sparks panic among migrant community
'Hum log bangali bolte hain toh Bangladeshi ban gaye kya (If we speak Bengali, does that make us Bangladeshi)?' said Chavi Bibi (39) as she stared at the 'holding centre' where her husband has been kept for at least the last three days. 'Two days ago, I managed to get a glimpse of him but then they closed the gates/windows,' she added. Like Bibi's husband, several people — mostly men — have been rounded up by the police as part of a 'routine verification' drive to identify Bangladeshis and Rohingya living illegally in the city. The move has sparked fear among the migrant community from Bengal, many of whom work as labourers, cooks or domestic help. Several have left the city or are preparing to leave. The 'holding centre' is inside a community centre in Sector 40. The rain has turned the path to the gate muddy. Along the boundary walls are a few policemen — some sit on chairs, others are making rounds. Asked why people are being rounded up, one of the police officers said, 'It is a routine check. All the facilities are there inside — food, water and shelter. They will be let go once the checks are complete.' Bibi recounted how her husband was picked up. 'They came around 2 pm a week ago when we were eating. They did not even let him change into proper clothes. They did not tell us where he was for three days. Then I got a call from him saying he was in Badshahpur, then Sohna, then Subhash Chowk, then here. He was picked up because he had two Aadhaar cards, one with an updated address as he had to link it to a bank account here.' The family said they are from Malda in West Bengal. Bibi works as a cook in homes while her husband does odd jobs including dog walking. The couple has two kids, daughters aged 17 and 9. Bibi alleged they were asked by the police if they got married in Bangladesh. 'Our sarpanch back home called me saying they have asked for verification about your husband.. We have all the documents.' A police spokesperson said that eight Bangladeshis have been detected in the exercise so far, who will be deported. An emptying slum At the slum in the Gada market area, behind Nirvana Country and DPS International School, in Sector 50, things are more grim. Mehta Ali, 50, originally from Dakshin Dinajpur district, said migrant workers like him have lived here for at least three years. 'Pura darr ka mahaul hain (There is fear in the air). 150 of us have already left for home (West Bengal). I have also booked train tickets for my family and I; we will leave today. Though no one was detained from here, but still…' The police came once at 2 pm Tuesday, he added. Videos doing the rounds of some of those detained being allegedly beaten up have added to the fear. 'Have we come here to get beaten? We came here looking for work, not to fight over our documentary proof. We stay awake all night now, alert. My brother-in-law has been detained for nine days,' Farukh Sarkar, 26, said. The slum's male residents are masons and labourers, while women are domestic help. 'What kind of law and order is this?' Sarkar added, slamming the wooden pole keeping the roof steady in frustration. Another resident said the raids have affected their children too. 'We were first taken to a community centre near Shani Mandir, then a station. If there is even one typo in our documents, they tag us Bangladeshi. For three days, our children have not gone to school once we got to know our community is being targeted,' said Dholu Mia, 42. A resident of a housing society nearby, whose help lived in the area, said, 'My domestic help was taken into custody along with her husband Tuesday. She has a differently abled son, she cannot just vacate so easily.' At the Yadav Chaupal area in Sector 28 in Chakkarpur, Adam Ali (38) was picked up late Sunday night, and released early Wednesday morning. 'Even though we had Aadhaar cards, they questioned and held us for three days, including at the Sector 40 community centre.' Mansoora Khatun, 32, and Tumpa Bibi, 30, whose male family members were detained, said they haven't been able to rest peacefully at night. 'When we are from West Bengal, why do the police think we are Bangladeshis? We are simple labourers and domestic workers here,' they say. Official speak According to the police spokesperson: 'We received directives from the Union Home Ministry for the verification exercise of suspected foreigners living illegally. We are verifying documents and antecedents of people from their local District Magistrate concerned.' 'No genuine citizens need to fear or flee the city to their home state, there is no need to panic,' the spokesperson added. He also denied the allegations of alleged violence against those held. 'We have CCTVs at all the holding centres and stations where they are being questioned. We have not received any complaint from any family member or those held.' Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Dr Arpit Jain said due process is being thoroughly followed throughout. 'This is an all-India exercise. Many have already been released promptly after swift verification.' Gurgaon MLA and BJP leader Mukesh Sharma supported the verification drive, given the law and order issue. 'Rohingya have negatively affected the law and order situation in Gurgaon, we all know. They set up jhuggis (here) and their numbers increase, they have a system to get documents made.' When asked about domestic help who are genuine citizens belonging to West Bengal being picked up, he said, 'See, as directions have come from the (Union) government, we have to support the drive. The government and police are working based on their intel; let the checking be thorough.'
News18
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Plane Tragedy Reminds Bangladesh Of A Friendly India, Failing Yunus Regime
Last Updated: Ordinary Bangladeshis are slowly beginning to see how, despite all the brickbats from across the border, Bharat calmly stands with a helping hand in the time of tragedy American poet Theodore Roethke, in his poem In a Dark Time, writes: 'In the darkest hour, the eye begins to see.' Profound tragedy has struck Bangladesh in the form of a plane crash which killed dozens, or possibly over a 100 students of Milestone school and college. The nation is inconsolable. India, made a villain in the eyes of millions of Bangladeshis by relentless propaganda, has rushed burn-specialist doctors and nurses to treat the victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to express his condolences. But the tragedy has set in motion two very strong strains of public reaction in Bangladesh. The first is a massive and spontaneous outpouring of friendliness and gratitude towards India after years. India had accrued deep public resentment in Bangladesh for backing the increasingly unpopular Sheikh Hasina regime, which ultimately fell to a mob on August 5, 2024. Since then, chief advisor Muhammad Yunus, his virulently anti-India and loose-tongued student advisors, and their Islamist puppeteers like Jamaat and Hizbut Tahrir ensured that relations reach rock bottom. They tried their best to make people forget India's role in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan during the 1971 Muktijuddo, or sending vaccines during peak Covid-19, or supporting its economy and developmental projects. India maturely navigated the bile. No irresponsible remark was fired from New Delhi to Dhaka. And now, ordinary Bangladeshis are slowly beginning to see how despite all the brickbats from across the border, Bharat calmly stands with a helping hand in the time of tragedy. Bangladeshi social media, which was hijacked for the last couple of years by radical voices, is now coming alive again with praise for India. Islamist influencers like Pinaki Bhattacharya (a Muslim neo-convert eager to prove his loyalty to his Islamist masters) are being mocked, shamed, and rejected for trying to play dirty, anti-India politics after the deaths of so many students and a few teachers. While the renewed warmth towards India cuts across BNP, Swami League and Jatiya Party lines, the buyers' remorse over the Yunus regime has accelerated even faster after the Milestone mishap. Bangladesh is realising that it has put in power a bunch of clueless and incompetent young bigots led by a malevolent and maladroit Nobel recipient. Bangladesh's GDP is at a 20-year low. Its lifeline, the garment industry, has been immobilised by the mobocracy. Local industrialists say a famine-like situation is advancing along with an energy crisis and total collapse of law and order. To add insult, Yunus was caught on video smiling heartily at an all-party meeting right after the crash which took so many young lives. But he did not stop at that. Instead of announcing an emergency financial package, he exhorted the Bangladeshi citizenry to collect money and help the victims. This growing callousness, coupled with the recent Gopalganj massacre and public lynching of a businessman, is slowly tipping the patience of the public. It is still too early to expect a paucity- and violence-torn citizenry to effect change, but it is becoming clear to all that the nation cannot indefinitely feed itself with political and sectarian hate. Knives will have to come back to the kitchen. Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Many migrants leave Gurgaon amid police drive to identify 'illegals'
GURGAON: Making a living washing cars in the city for the last six years, Karimul Islam was among several Palra residents packing their bags and leaving on Wednesday. A backpack slung over his shoulder and a one-way flight ticket in hand - paid for by his worried family back in West Bengal - 24-year-old Karimul boarded an auto, saying this was perhaps the last time he would see Gurgaon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In this slum settlement, and in several such colonies in the city, hundreds of migrant families have either left or are preparing to leave, afraid of "being targeted" in the ongoing drive to identify Bangladeshis and Rohingyas living illegally in the Millennium City. "I have documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, but they're not listening to anyone. They are rounding up people randomly and detaining them. I had to ask my family for money to buy a flight ticket because trains are not available at such a short notice," said Karimul. Over the last six days, around 400 people have been rounded up in the city, according to sources, for verification of documents. 'Afraid as we don't know what's next' Around 250 are still inside the four community centres in Sector 10A, Badshapur, Sector 40 and Manesar that are doubling as detention centres. What is driving these fears, according to migrant workers living in these colonies, is the perception that any Bengali-speaking person could be targeted in the verification drive. Locals said around 200 migrants at Baliawas in Sector 58 had left for Assam in batches. Others accused police of assaulting their family members and picking them up randomly, saying they were "shattered to be treated like criminals". Saminul Islam from Assam said he has been living in Baliawas for the last 15 years and calls Gurgaon home. His wife and two children are here too. "Suddenly, we are being labelled as illegal Bangladeshis. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Several of our relatives have been detained in community centres even though they possess identity proofs of their citizenship. We are Indians, not criminals," he said. "There's fear because we don't know what's going to happen next," said Panahrul Islam, who is among Palra residents to have stayed back. "Every night, we fear someone will come knocking on doors, asking for papers. But even after people show documents, they are taken away. Some have been taken away while returning from work," added Panahrul, who cleans building glass facades. For 29-year-old Sukhi Bibi, who works as a domestic helper in housing societies in sectors 69 and 70, Friday night was a nightmare. "They took away five people from our house. If my husband had been home, he would have been taken too," she said. "They are targeting the men first. My husband and children are leaving the city. I haven't gone to work because of constant fear," she said. Sukhi Bibi added, "Agar hum Bengal se hain, aur Bengali bolte hain, to kya hum Bangladeshi ho gaye? West Bengal is desh ka hissa hai (If we are from Bengal and speak Bengali, does that make us Bangladeshi? West Bengal is part of this country." Asiman Bibi (20) said her husband was taken six days ago and the family has not been allowed to meet him since. "We don't know where he is. He used to clean cars. We have all his documents, but they are not even telling us which centre he's in," she said. Shabnam Bibi, who claimed that her husband was picked up despite having valid identity documents, sat outside her locked room in Sector 58 holding her two children. "We have lived here for 12 years, worked hard, paid school fees. Now we are suddenly criminals? My husband was rounded up and I don't know where to go now," she said. With no communication from the authorities, legal aid or clarification on the verification process, there is a vacuum in which all kinds of rumours, like talk of mass detentions and deportations, have begun to swirl, amplifying the sense of panic. "We have been working in Gurgaon for the last six years but there is no one to stand with us now. So people are just leaving with just a bag, even without tickets," said Asadul Sayeed, a scrap dealer in Palra. Taramiya said he was among those who were rounded up in Baliawas and taken to a police station for verification four days ago. "They wrote our names in the register. When we were being taken to the police station, the cops claimed that we would be released after verification. I was released but some others detained," said the labour contractor, who is from Assam. He alleged 11 people picked up from Sector 103 were assaulted by cops and only released when they paid Rs 1.2 lakh. "I am also being forced to leave Gurgaon with my daughters who study in class 2 and 3 at govt school in Behrampur," Taramiya added. Salilur Rehman (44) of Assam, another labour contractor, also alleged people he knew had been assaulted. Police refuted allegations of assault and bribery and said cops were working according to protocols. "There are CCTV cameras at police stations where they were taken for verification as well as at the community centres. No such incident of assault or bribery has taken place. We are following the legal process and have already identified eight Bangladeshis who were residing here illegally. Legal proceedings have started to deport them," Gurgaon police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said. A detainee at Sector 10A community centre, meanwhile, said people in their settlement had decided to meet the police with their papers, rather than live in fear. "After learning about the verification drive, 16 of us went for verification voluntarily. Despite having documents, we were sent to the detention centre last Saturday. We work as contractual sanitation workers with the corporation," he said.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam man with two brothers in detention pleads with police, ‘We're the same family'
Gurgaon: Standing in pouring rain outside the Sector 40 community centre, one of the four sites turned into 'holding centres' to check citizenship of suspected illegal immigrants, Shariful Ali pleaded with cops to release his two brothers, both of whom have been detained there since Saturday. "We're the same family," Shariful pleaded. The 26-year-old said his family belongs to Assam's Dhubri. He and his younger brothers – Sheikh Forid (20) and Mohammed Majidur Rahman (18) – were at their home in Baliawas basti in the city when police knocked on their door last week. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon "They came and said we had to be verified. Around 26 people from the basti were first taken to a police station. Randomly, half of us were told we can leave as our verification will be done later. Thirteen, including my brothers, were taken to the centre," Shariful said on Wednesday. The sanitation worker's brothers are among around 250 people detained and kept in four 'holding centres' in the city – Sector 40, Sector 10A, Badshapur and Manesar -- for verification of documents, part of the drive to identify Bangladeshis and Rohingyas illegally living in India. On May 2, the Union home ministry released a notice, listing a set of guidelines for all states and Union territories to follow as they identify, detain and deport illegal immigrants. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Shariful said he has provided his brothers' identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, PAN cards, and even the National Register of Citizenship (NRC) status, to police. But he hasn't received any update, nor has he been able to speak to them. "They are not allowing us to talk on the phone. My brothers' phones are with the cops," Shariful said. At the Badshahpur holding centre, which is more heavily guarded, only silhouettes of detainees can be seen. A woman who spotted her husband through the iron grilles said she had been communicating with him through hand gestures, both reassuring each other that they were doing fine. At one point, when gestures failed to convey his message, he shouted to her: "Take all my identity documents to the police station." Afraid of giving away her name, the woman said she came to the city with her family from West Bengal's Malda six years ago. The couple's children were born in the city and her husband works as a labourer, moving from one project site to the other. "Cops turn us away and tell us to get the (identity) documents to the police station. I have all the documents. At least let me talk to him (husband)… I feel alone. I don't know when he will be released," she said. Another woman outside the centre said she was from Malda and has been working as a domestic help in Sector 69 for years. Her husband was in the detention centre. A third woman, a 22-year-old, stood nearby with her 6-year-old son. "When my husband was picked up, I was working at a house in Tulip society. I did not know anything. Later, I saw some missed calls on my phone. They (police) had already taken him by that time," she said, adding that she was from West Bengal. A man waiting for his younger brother said his family hails from Dhubri in Assam and lives in Sector 70. Most of the detainees, he said, are employed as sanitation workers with MCG. "Our work has stopped… how are we going to feed our families?" he said.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Clearance from home districts of detainees key to release from holding centres in Gurgaon
1 2 Gurgaon: With police launching an operation to track Bangladeshis and Rohingyas living illegally in the city, the fate of detainees at holding centres hinges on verification reports provided by local police. Most of those in detention are from districts in Assam and West Bengal, and police, according to sources, have already forwarded their details to their counterparts in both states, seeking verification of addresses and other details. According to police, detainees will be released if they receive a positive verification report. Sources said 20 people from Assam's Dhubri, who spent around five days in the Sector 10A community centre that has been serving as a holding centre for the verification drive, have been released after the verification. They were engaged in waste collection around Kankrola and Panchgaon and can now go back to it. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Many of the detainees, according to police, possess multiple identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter cards. Some also have passports. Several of them have also presented letters from local MPs and police stations asserting their residency and Indian citizenship. However, police officers said such letters are insufficient, and clearance can only be granted following a thorough verification of documents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Are you 18-79 with no funeral insurance? Talk to NZ Seniors today NZ Seniors Get Quote Undo DCP (headquarters) Arpit Jain said, "There is no one document that can prove or deny the citizenship of any person." He also said the Union home ministry has outlined a list of documents, such as ration cards, voter cards, birth certificates and passports, for identification and verification. "We have shared the details with respective police forces and are in contact with them to complete verification at their end. We have released some people after verification and more will be released once we receive reports from their state police," the DCP said. Outside the detention centre in Sector 10A, Mohammad Irfan from West Bengal said no one was giving them any clarity about the process. "We are concerned for our family as no one is giving clear answers," said Irfan, who was carrying his documents with him. Sofia Aalam from Assam showed a letter from the MP stating she is an Indian citizen and was going to Gurgaon for work. "All this has disrupted our work. We fear losing work opportunities in the coming days," said Sofia. According to the police, verification is taking time and that is extending the stay of people at the centre. The verification process, officials explained, aims at authenticating identity documents as there have been instances of illegal migrants acquiring fraudulent documents. Local police are tasked with verifying addresses and other details provided in these documents to ensure their legitimacy. On July 17, police requested the district administration to set up special holding centres. In their communication, they referenced a May 2, 2025 directive from the Centre mandating identification of Bangladeshis and Rohingya people at the district level. A standard operating procedure (SOP) has been developed by the Union home ministry for their deportation. The state police are responsible for this identification process, and any Bangladeshis and Rohingya people found living illegally in India are to be detained at special holding centres.
