Gurgaon: Police on Thursday announced a fresh verification and checking drive to identify Bangladeshi nationals allegedly staying in the city without valid documents, warning that those found living illegally will face deportation proceedings in keeping with the law.The campaign, police said, is being launched in view of national security concerns and will be carried out through coordinated teams from local police stations, crime branch units and specially constituted squads. “Teams will conduct extensive verification at slum settlements, residential colonies, hotels, labour accommodations and other locations where foreign nationals may be staying,” an official said.Officials also sought to reassure residents and migrant workers that the exercise is focused only on illegal stay. “No Indian citizen or foreign national residing legally in the country will be detained or put through unnecessary inconvenience,” an official said.The announcement revived memories of a similar drive last year that rattled the city’s migrant workforce and drew criticism from civil society groups over the way the entire exercise was handled. In July 2025, police rounded up more than 250 people and kept them at temporary holding centres set up at community halls for document checks. Only 10 were eventually deported to Bangladesh, but the exercise triggered panic among Bengali-speaking blue-collar workers, many of them from Assam and West Bengal, and led to an exodus from several settlements.An officer said the approach will be different this time. “This year, verification will be door-to-door. No detention centres will be created. People should not panic. If a suspected individual is found, they will be handed over to the authorities in keeping with the legal procedure. This is not meant to create fear among residents or migrant workers. It is a national security exercise, and we need public cooperation so that no untoward incident arises,” he added.Police also appealed to residents to share information about any Bangladeshi or other foreign national allegedly living illegally in their neighbourhood. Residents were told to ensure verification of tenants, domestic workers, labourers and hotel employees to strengthen local security and prevent crime.“Residents have been asked to contact the police control room by dialling 112 or inform the nearest police station if they come across any suspicious person,” police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said. The cops have also sought help from RWAs to facilitate the checks.Officials acknowledged that the scale of the campaign could cause some inconvenience, but said “public safety and national security would remain the priority”. Police also warned against misinformation, saying social media platforms will be monitored closely and “strict legal action” will be taken against anyone circulating false, misleading or fabricated information about the drive.
