New Delhi – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech today has sparked apprehension among sections of India’s Muslim community, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims in Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister warned of a “well-planned conspiracy” to change the country’s demography through “infiltration.” He alleged that infiltrators were “snatching the livelihoods of youth,” “targeting women,” and “grabbing land from innocent tribals,” and announced a “High Power Demography Mission” to address what he described as a severe threat to national unity and security.
In recent months, Delhi-NCR has seen intensified drives against settlements inhabited by Bengali-speaking Muslims, with reports of detentions, eviction notices, and heightened surveillance in areas such as Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, Gurugram, and Noida. Civil society groups allege that many of those affected are genuine citizens whose families have lived in India for generations.
Although the Prime Minister did not name any group, the term “infiltrators” has often been used in political discourse to refer to undocumented migrants from Bangladesh. However, in a bid to search and arrest illegal immigrants, Indian citizens particularly poor, Bengali-speaking Muslims who face difficulties proving their nationality due to displacement or lack of documents, often face harassment and persecution.
Citizens will expect greater transparency in the proposed Demography Mission and legal safeguards to prevent harassment of citizens under the guise of national security.
