Ahmedabad : The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has strongly condemned the Gujarat Police’s recent large-scale detention drive targeting alleged illegal migrants, labeling it an alarming “abuse of power” that threatens constitutional rights.
On the night of April 26, 2025, Gujarat Police, aided by Special Operations Group (SOG), Crime Branch, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB), and local police teams, launched sudden combing operations across Ahmedabad (Chandola area), Surat, Baroda, Rajkot, and other cities. The official objective was to identify and deport “illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals.” However, by morning, thousands of residents — primarily inter-state migrants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and even local Gujaratis — were detained simply based on suspicion and questioned about their citizenship documents, such as ration cards and Aadhaar cards.
Temporary detention centres at locations like Kankaria Football Ground, Police Stadium, Shahibagh, the SOG office in Juhapura, and Cyber Crime offices in Ahmedabad were reportedly filled with detainees. Relatives of those detained alleged that many were held without access to legal aid, basic medical care, food, or water, with even elderly citizens, women, children, and pregnant women among them.
Despite civil society interventions leading to the release of several detainees, thousands reportedly remain in detention, with authorities yet to disclose clear figures or legal criteria used for detention and deportation. In Ahmedabad alone, over 1,000 people were initially detained, but after verification, only about 100 individuals were suspected of being illegal immigrants. For instance, 80 detainees at the Cyber Crime police station, mostly from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, were eventually released following identity verification.
In a deeply troubling incident, Gujarat Police reportedly paraded detainees through the streets from Kankaria Football Ground to the Crime Branch headquarters at Gaikwad Haveli — a stretch of 4 to 5 kilometers — raising serious concerns about dignity and human rights.
While the Gujarat government hailed the operation as a “surgical strike” against illegal immigrants, APCR criticized the move as politically motivated, lacking tangible results and failing to uphold constitutional protections.
“This heavy-handed action undermines civil liberties, equating long-term residents and Indian citizens with foreign nationals without transparent procedures,” APCR stated, warning that such actions violate fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 22 of the Constitution. The organization also raised alarms over the potential communal tensions that could arise, especially in a state with a history of violence.
The timing of the crackdown — shortly after the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir — has also raised suspicions of unnecessary securitization of ordinary life, APCR pointed out.
Calling for immediate corrective steps, APCR demanded the review and release of all detainees possessing valid identification, judicial oversight of future operations, assured legal aid and interpretation services for detainees, transparent reporting by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and collaboration with civil society groups to ensure rights-based practices in future drives.
“Security and civil liberties must not be treated as opposing goals. Protecting human dignity and constitutional freedoms is non-negotiable,” APCR emphasized.
