Bengaluru Police accused of profiling Bengali migrant workers

A joint report by several civil rights and labor organizations has accused the Bengaluru Police of conducting a discriminatory “illegal immigrant verification” drive that disproportionately targeted Bengali-speaking migrant workers, primarily from the Muslim community. The report, titled “Profiling as Policy: How Bangalore Police’s ‘Verification’ Drive Violated the Constitution and the Law,” alleges that the operations, which began around August 8, involved linguistic and class profiling.

According to the findings, police officers entered migrant settlements in the early morning across jurisdictions of 10 to 12 police stations. The report claims that hundreds of workers—including construction workers, street vendors, and domestic workers—were detained for 10 to 12 hours. Even individuals who presented valid Aadhaar and PAN cards were reportedly held. The organizations alleged that detainees were subjected to arbitrary detention, assault, and invasive searches of mobile phones.

Additional allegations include the denial of legal counsel, restricted access to toilets, and instances where residents were reportedly asked to sing the national anthem to prove their citizenship. The report notes that women and children were also detained, with some women being separated from their infants during the process.