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Karnataka migrant drive puts Bengali Muslims under citizenship scrutiny
Bengali-speaking workers in Bengaluru were questioned because police suspected some might be from Bangladesh.
The police detained about 3,000 people during a special operation.
Most were later released, and a report said 105 were found to be undocumented migrants.
Workers said police often assumed they were Bangladeshi because of their language, appearance or religion.
Some said officers did not properly examine their documents.
Rafikul Biswas was detained even though he had a passport and other Indian records.
A court later said he was an Indian citizen whose family had lived in India for generations.
Activists said the operation unfairly harmed Indian Bengali Muslims.
Police and the Karnataka home minister were asked to respond, but no response was included in the article.
Bengaluru police detained about 3,000 Bengali-speaking workers during ‘Operation Mukta’ to identify suspected undocumented immigrants.
Workers and activists said Indian citizens were harassed, detained without adequate document checks and, in some cases, beaten.
The Times of India reported that 105 of those detained were found to be undocumented migrants from Bangladesh.
Rafikul Biswas spent four months in detention despite possessing Indian identity documents and a passport.
The Karnataka High Court later declared Biswas an Indian citizen, but police detained him and his wife again days afterward.
- Who
- Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Bengaluru, Bengaluru City Police, activists and authorities including the Foreigners Regional Registration Office.
- What
- Police conducted ‘Operation Mukta’ to identify suspected undocumented immigrants, leading to the detention of about 3,000 workers.
- Where
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, including settlements and work sites associated with waste workers.
- When
- The main drive took place on August 8; Rafikul Biswas was first detained on August 28, 2025, and the Karnataka High Court ruling was issued on August 4.
- Why
- Police said the operation was intended to identify undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh; activists said it was driven by anti-Bengali rhetoric and pressure from right-wing groups.
Workers’ and activists’ criticism
Authorities’ stated rationale
Purpose of the operation
Workers’ and activists’ criticism
Activists and workers said the drive unfairly targeted Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims and subjected many citizens to harassment.
Authorities’ stated rationale
Police conducted the drive to identify suspected undocumented immigrants living in Bengaluru.
Document verification
Workers’ and activists’ criticism
Detained workers said police refused to examine their documents or accused them of being Bangladeshi without adequate checks. Biswas’s lawyer said alleged Bangladeshi documents used against him were fake and were not properly verified.
Authorities’ stated rationale
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office said Biswas’s detention was based on intelligence information and documentary evidence, including an alleged Bangladeshi national identity card and birth certificate.
Extent of the problem
Workers’ and activists’ criticism
Activists said Indian Bengali workers became “collateral damage” because authorities treated Bengali speakers as suspicious and because of right-wing pressure.
Authorities’ stated rationale
Activists acknowledged that undocumented Bangladeshi migrants are present in Bengaluru, including in the waste-segregation sector, which authorities cited as part of the broader concern.
Key facts
- Operation name
- ‘Operation Mukta’
- People detained
- About 3,000 Bengali-speaking workers, according to the article
- Locations raided
- About 90 locations in Bengaluru
- Undocumented migrants identified
- 105, according to a Times of India report cited by the article
- Rafikul Biswas’s detention
- Four months in a detention centre before his legal release
- Court finding
- The Karnataka High Court declared Biswas an Indian citizen on August 4
- Documents cited by Biswas’s family
- A passport, school certificate, voter identity card, electoral roll entry, Aadhaar card and gram panchayat certificate
Quotes
Rafikul Biswas
Bengali Muslim worker detained during the Bengaluru police drive
“If I get an opportunity, I will question Rahul Gandhi. What is the difference between you and the BJP?”
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“Every Bengali-speaking informal worker is suspected of being Bangladeshi.”
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Sources
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