Fear grips Bengali-speaking Muslims, Rohingya refugees

Amid Delhi police crack down on undocumented migrants

- SURUCHI KUMARI

NEW DELHI: As Delhi gears up for its assembly elections in 2025, a growing sense of fear and uncertainty has gripped the city's migrant population, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims and Rohingya refugees, amid an ongoing police crackdown targeting illegal immigrants. The two-month drive by Delhi Police, initiated on December 11 under the direction of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, claims of "sudden spurt" of alleged illegal migrants attempting to secure Indian identification documents and get on the city's voter rolls.

On December 29, Police identified, arrested and deported eight more Bangladeshi nationals through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). According to officials, more than 1,500 suspected illegal migrants have been identified so far. These drives are being carried out in the slum areas of Outer Delhi districts like Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Nagar, Seelampur, and Kalindi Kunj- home to large populations of Bengali-speaking migrants, many of whom, already vulnerable due to their migrant status, feeling targeted and anxious.