Gurugram : All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the Union government for allegedly detaining Bengali-speaking Muslim citizens in Gurugram under the pretext of being “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh, despite their possession of valid Indian identity documents such as Aadhaar and voter ID, reported the Maktoob Media.
Calling the detentions unlawful and discriminatory, Owaisi accused the government of weaponizing the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directives to target some of the most marginalised sections of society.
“These individuals are being harassed and labelled as Bangladeshis even though they are Indian citizens. Many of them are slum dwellers, domestic workers, cleaners, and rag-pickers—people who don’t have the resources or power to resist such state-sponsored atrocities,” said Owaisi.
He also raised alarm over reports of Indian citizens allegedly being forcibly pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint, terming it a “grave violation of fundamental rights.”
“This government acts strong with the weak and weak with the strong,” he stated, underscoring the targeting of vulnerable communities under the guise of national security and immigration control.
According to the Gurugram Deputy Commissioner of Police, instructions were issued in line with MHA’s guidelines to deport undocumented Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals. A “special search campaign” was launched by the police to identify such individuals, with police presence increased across all districts.
As per the Standard Operating Procedure, those found to be “illegal foreign nationals” are to be detained in designated “Special Holding Centres.” Senior local officials, including tehsildars from various areas, have been appointed as in-charges of these centres.
On July 19, Gurugram police detained at least 74 migrant workers—11 from West Bengal and 63 from Assam—suspecting them to be undocumented Bangladeshis. The detainees were transferred to these Special Holding Centres, which activists describe as makeshift detention camps operating under harsh conditions.
Civil society groups and human rights activists have raised serious concerns over the legality and humaneness of the detentions. A fact-finding team from the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) visited Gurugram’s Sector 10 and Vasant Kunj to inspect the conditions. CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya expressed solidarity with the detainees and residents, noting that the Jai Hind Camp had been living without electricity for over two weeks following allegations of “encroachment.”
Bhattacharya condemned the collective punishment meted out to residents labelled as “Bangladeshis” and highlighted the fear of arbitrary arrest and deportation that is forcing many to flee their communities.
Though the detainees were eventually released due to public outcry and pressure from civil society and progressive media, questions remain unanswered. CPI-ML leaders said government officials gave vague and unsatisfactory explanations when asked about the legal grounds and verification methods used to classify individuals as “foreigners.”
In response to mounting criticism, Gurugram Police PRO Sandeep Kumar stated that “they are not detained,” and that the individuals were being kept in holding centres per MHA guidelines, where all basic facilities including healthcare are reportedly being provided.
Despite these claims, activists argue that the policy is being misused to profile and persecute a specific community based on language and religion, and have called for transparency, legal safeguards, and accountability from the authorities.
