In a major crackdown, the Gurugram police have detained individuals for allegedly staying in the city without valid documents as part of a special drive being carried out in adherence to orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs to identify and deport ‘illegal immigrants’. Over the past week, hundreds of suspected ‘illegal immigrants’ were reportedly sent to detention centres for verification of documents.
However, the drive has drawn widespread criticism over the alleged harassment of detainees and targeting of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from Assam and West Bengal.
Gurugram hit by worker shortage amid police raids
A visit on Sunday (July 27, 2025) to the special holding centres designated by the district administration showed that many detainees were being released.
The special holding centre in Gurugram’s Sector 10A, a dimly-lit hall at a community centre, stood empty with only a pile of carpets and a few packets of ‘pav (bread)‘ lying in a dark corner.
