Bengali Muslim migrants have been repeatedly labelled as Rohingyas and/or Bangladeshis, therefore “illegal immigrants”, forced to flee, and ultimately deserted by their home state; left to live in fear of the domicile thousands of kilometres away.
Mass evictions of people living in slums across cities, using force, allegations of harbouring ‘illegal migrants’ have acquired phenomenal pace in the past few months. Calling out certain demographics, like Muslims and those who speak in Bengali, as non-citizens and housing them in ‘holding centres’ has made the exercise acquire a menacing character. The Wire reports on people vital to building city infrastructure, living on the margins, now suddenly finding their citizenship challenged.
An Eyewitness’s Account of the Exodus of Bengali Muslim Migrant Workers in Gurugram - The Wire
by Atish Aziz
02/08/2025