Verification leads to panic migrant exodus; Gurugram workforce hit
The ongoing drive to detect illegal Bangladeshi immigrants by the Gurugram police has triggered an exodus as hundreds are fleeing the city to escape verification. The migrants, a majority of whom claim to be from Bengal’s Malda, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar and North 24 Parganas districts, are fleeing the city claiming that they are being targeted for having a dialect that matches Bangladeshi language.
They are arranging special overnight buses that are charging three times the regular price to shift. A majority of the settlements are now vacated. Sources claimed that these migrants had been getting messages from Bengal to flee the city for some time.
“My brother was detained from a scrap yard and taken to Manesar Community Centre. He had a photo of his Aadhaar Card and Voter Card on phone. But, the police asked him to call his family with hard copies of the same. Sensing trouble, my brother asked us all to go back to Bengal instead, and send the documents through his employer. The police wanted to detain us all. They are not asking anything, just picking us up. We also got a message from our village sarpanch in Malda asking us all to come back. We are 30 persons in all and have hired a bus for Rs 50,000,” said Bupin Sheikh, who left the city on July 20.
Confirming the panic, Gurugram police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said that the police are flooded with calls about “maid crisis”. Sanitation contractors, RWA members and other people are reaching the “hold-up” centres in sectors 10 and 40, besides Badshahpur and Manesar, to vouch for their workers. The police blame social media “rumours” and “exaggerated” detention figures as the key reasons behind panic. While the police claim there were only 25 persons at such centres, Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee claims the number is 52 while the people in such centres claim it’s more than 200. They claim they have valid voter cards, Ayushman Bharat cards and even verification documents from various Bengal MPs.
“We are going by official orders. We are picking up only people who come across as suspicious. We take their documents and get them verified from whichever area they claim to be from and then they are let off. The only time they have to spend here is that taken by their state authorities to verify their credentials. Nobody is being illegally detained or harassed. We have so far identified 10 illegal immigrants, and we are updating the MHA about it,” said Sandeep Kumar.
It may be noted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming Gurugram administration had detained 52 Bengali-speaking migrant workers on suspicion that they were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and had sought background verification reports from the Bengal authorities. She said, “It is our duty to protect citizens. If the BJP thinks this is how it can delete the names of voters and win elections, as it did in Delhi and Maharashtra, then it is making a big mistake.” Banerjee has reportedly ordered immediate response vis-à-vis verifications and Bengal police are working round the clock to ensure same.
Gurugram DC Ajay Kumar said that the administration was out ensuring that nobody was harassed in the due course.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said, “The Haryana Police, in the last 10 days, have been carrying out an illegal drive targeting Bengali-speaking migrant workers. These are cooks, maids and other workers with menial jobs. They are being illegally detained in community centres that are doubling up as detention centres to terrorise them. They are being threatened with deportation, while being asked to produce a plethora of documents. Gurugram has become ‘Nazi Germany’. It’s high time that Gurugram residents stand up for their work force.”
Delhi