A joint fact-finding report by civil rights and labour organisations has accused Bengaluru Police of linguistic and class profiling, arbitrary detention, assault and invasive searches during an “illegal immigrant verification” drive targeting Bengali-speaking migrant workers.
The report by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, All India Lawyers Association for Justice, Domestic Workers’ Rights Union, All India Central Council of Trade Unions and other groups said police conducted coordinated operations across 10 to 12 police station jurisdictions from August 8.
According to the report, officers entered migrant settlements in the early morning, detained men, women, children and elderly residents and took them to marriage halls, choultries and convention centres. Some residents reportedly produced Aadhaar and PAN cards but were detained for 10 to 12 hours.
The report alleged that some detained men were beaten with lathis and that police broke gates and CCTV cameras at one settlement. Mobile phones were reportedly confiscated and searched, including private photographs.
Women and children were also among those detained. The report said some women were taken away while their young children remained at home and that women carrying infants were not provided private spaces for breastfeeding.
The organisations alleged that police stations followed inconsistent verification procedures and that some Aadhaar and voter identification details were declared insufficient or invalid. In one instance, residents were allegedly asked to sing the national anthem to establish that they were Indian citizens.
The report said detainees were denied lawyers and faced restrictions on toilet access. Police refused to disclose the number detained, the legal basis for confinement or when people would be released.
The organisations argued that Bengali language, migrant-worker status or residence in informal settlements cannot by themselves constitute grounds for suspecting someone of being a foreign national.
They also alleged that the drive disproportionately targeted working-class Bengali-speaking settlements while leaving Bengali-speaking residents of apartment complexes untouched.
The report called for an independent inquiry into allegations of assault, intimidation and unlawful detention, disclosure of the legal basis and standard operating procedures for the drive, and immediate access to lawyers for anyone still detained.
“The State may enforce immigration law, but cannot enforce prejudice as immigration law,” the report said.