The police have suspended their ongoing detention drive to round up ‘suspected’ illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the midst of a panic exodus that has crippled the domestic work sector in Gurugram.Today, no one was detained in the four detention centres set up by the police. These centres are meant to ‘hold’ suspicious individuals until verification is received from their parent state. The police, however, clarified that the verification process was still on.While the police denied any harassment, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and several MPs have termed the action as “linguistic terror”, accusing the double-engine Haryana Government of political vendetta, and the state police of torture.“Misinformation is being spread, which is creating panic. We are not holding anybody, but the verification, as per rules, is continuing. Now, only those who come across as very suspicious will be detained,” said Gurugram police official spokesperson Sandip Kumar.Highly placed sources claimed that the migrants in the city had received frantic messages from their village heads or public representatives to return immediately. The migrants are getting financial help from ‘bigwigs’ back home to arrange for their travel. Various Bengali settlements have been deserted, with migrants fleeing the city in buses plying round the clock.A senior police official said panic was being created by a series of videos being circulated from Bengal and Assam. “Not just migrants, but even resident welfare associations (RWAs) are approaching us with videos, which are either fabricated or old. The Gurugram police have not beaten up anybody, nor are they harassing anybody. We are just verifying the identity of migrants, and only those with no valid legal documents had been detained earlier. We have reached out to the RWAs to help us in spreading awareness,” the official said, adding that the RWAs had been asked to report any suspicious immigrants, and ensure police verification of the workforce.While Bengali migrant men are a key part of the sanitation services in the city, women form the bulk of house help, nannies and cooks. A majority of them have now fled, and the non-Bengali Hindi-speaking maids have hiked their wages by three times.Sensing the gravity of the situation, residents are now allowing them in their homes or residential societies are making alternative accommodation arrangements for them to stay until the crisis blows over. The fallout is also visible in certain rural areas, where the economy of villages depending on rental income has taken a hit. Areas like Wazirabad, Chakkarpur and Sikanderpur bear a barren look.“Garbage is not being cleared and maids are not coming for work in societies. How will people manage without nannies or elderly care? We, in our society, have urged residents to accommodate helps in their homes and let them send their family and stuff back home,” said an RWA member.Youth alleges police tortureWhile the Gurugram police deny any torture, a man identified as Kabir, a resident of South City 2, has accused them of illegal detention and thrashing. Sharing pictures of his bruised back, Kabir claimed he was born in India and had been living in Gurugram for the past 17 years. The police spokesperson said the complaint was being looked into.Fake videos causing panic*Sarpanches of villages in Bengal have issued advisory to migrants to return to escape harassment*Fake and old videos of police beating up people being blamed for creating panic*Many migrant settlements now empty*Gurugram facing biggest domestic help crisis
Facing backlash, Gurugram police suspend detention of ‘illegal’ migrants
