Systematic Targeting of Bengali Migrant Workers in India

A coordinated campaign targeting Bengali-speaking migrant workers, especially from the muslim community, is currently underway in several BJP ruled Indian states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. The police, under the guise of racist agendas such as identifying "illegal Bangladeshis", are violating constitutional rights and inflicting severe trauma on our already vulnerable working class migrant community. 

Communities affected

More than 2000 people have been forced across the Indo-Bangladesh border as an aftermath of “Operation Sindoor”.  

The people affected include masons, daily-wage labourers, street vendors and in case of Delhi, domestic workers who provide labour in the posh gated communities in Vasant Kunj. They are predominantly Bengali-speaking citizens from districts like Birbhum, Murshidabad, and South 24 Parganas. People have recounted being tossed into the sea, stripped and asked to recite “hanuman chalisa” to prove they are hindu.

In Odisha, 447 workers were rounded up. 

In Pune, members of the Matua community, a Dalit religious minority, were detained despite furnishing Aadhaar cards and certificates from their own Mahasangha.

Even congress-ruled states like Karnataka have reported deporting 200 construction workers to Bangladesh. 

Detained and deported without trials and procedure

The core of this injustice is the arbitrary rejection of government-issued identification. Police and authorities have refused to accept Aadhaar card, voter id or ration cards as legitimate identification. Instead, they demand birth and school certificates - documents which are very difficult to produce for migrant workers who left their villages at a young age. 

This random "verification" process is simply a pretext for persecution, which in reality is based on profiling and linguistic discrimination. Linguistic racism has a dangerous history in South Asia (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), with state-led violence and dispossession escalting into genocide. By calling Bengali a “Bangladeshi” language, BJP is furthering its brahminical hindutva agenda of establishing a state around a homogenous religious identity.

Ground reports from Sanhati have documented deeply troubling accounts from the affected workers:

 “Sonali, eight months pregnant, is in detention with her seven-year-old child. Doctors warn of a high risk of miscarriage due to stress, insomnia, and malnutrition.”

“Sujan has asthma and can no longer do heavy labor. He and others urgently need counseling to address their mental trauma, along with work and safety.”

 “Jiyem Sheikh saw his son on social media and learned that Amir had been shoved out of his own country and sent across the border into Bangladesh. Since then, there has been no news. His family has provided all the necessary documents”

“Najim Mondal was picked up by Mumbai Police who took his phone and documents.The BSF beat him badly and pushed him across the border into Bangladesh. He says they took ₹18,000 from him and shoved 300 Bangladeshi takas into his pocket. Under pressure from the Migrant Workers Solidarity Platform, the BSF was forced to bring him and other migrants back.”

Use of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and targeting of Muslims 

The Citizenship Amendment Act passed in 2019, after a series of long protests, arrests and deaths. This bill gave citizenship to non-muslims such as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain and Parsi minorities from neighbouring countries and specifically excluded muslim minorities. 

The CAA along with the proposed National register of citizens functions as a tool to identify and persecute the 200 million+ muslim population of India. 

Demolitions of Bengali migrant worker homes in Jai Hind Colony, Delhi

In Delhi's Jai Hind Colony, which comprises largely Bengali-speaking migrant workers that provide labour in Vasant Kunj's gated communities - the police have cut electricity and water to create unlivable conditions. The camp is home to toddlers, pregnant women, and the elderly who had to endure these conditions in high temperatures with 70% humidity. They are mostly muslim and/or Dalit/OBC backgrounds. 

These actions resulted in some children missing school and being forced to study by candlelight. Furthermore, with water tankers stopped, residents were forced to either buy water or carry it from distant sources. 

This follows a court-ordered demolition that affected over 1,400 families, part of a larger wave of displacements that have denied rehabilitation to thousands.

There have been recent detentions and similar tactics as Jai hind camp used in other parts of Delhi NCR. In Gurugram last month, Bengali speaking muslim migrant workers were detained for days and threatened with deportation under false accusations of being “Bangladeshi”.

How you can help

ILS is collecting funds on behalf of a grassroots union that has been active in Jai Hind Camp for the last five years, along with organising educational and health-related activities. With the threat of eviction, we appeal for financial support on their behalf for legal expenses and struggle funds. 

You can contribute here.