Gurgaon: With police launching an operation to track Bangladeshis and Rohingyas living illegally in the city, the fate of detainees at holding centres hinges on verification reports provided by local police.Most of those in detention are from districts in Assam and West Bengal, and police, according to sources, have already forwarded their details to their counterparts in both states, seeking verification of addresses and other details. According to police, detainees will be released if they receive a positive verification report.Sources said 20 people from Assam’s Dhubri, who spent around five days in the Sector 10A community centre that has been serving as a holding centre for the verification drive, have been released after the verification. They were engaged in waste collection around Kankrola and Panchgaon and can now go back to it.Many of the detainees, according to police, possess multiple identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter cards. Some also have passports. Several of them have also presented letters from local MPs and police stations asserting their residency and Indian citizenship. However, police officers said such letters are insufficient, and clearance can only be granted following a thorough verification of documents.DCP (headquarters) Arpit Jain said, “There is no one document that can prove or deny the citizenship of any person.” He also said the Union home ministry has outlined a list of documents, such as ration cards, voter cards, birth certificates and passports, for identification and verification. “We have shared the details with respective police forces and are in contact with them to complete verification at their end. We have released some people after verification and more will be released once we receive reports from their state police,” the DCP said.Outside the detention centre in Sector 10A, Mohammad Irfan from West Bengal said no one was giving them any clarity about the process. “We are concerned for our family as no one is giving clear answers,” said Irfan, who was carrying his documents with him.Sofia Aalam from Assam showed a letter from the MP stating she is an Indian citizen and was going to Gurgaon for work. “All this has disrupted our work. We fear losing work opportunities in the coming days,” said Sofia.According to the police, verification is taking time and that is extending the stay of people at the centre. The verification process, officials explained, aims at authenticating identity documents as there have been instances of illegal migrants acquiring fraudulent documents. Local police are tasked with verifying addresses and other details provided in these documents to ensure their legitimacy.On July 17, police requested the district administration to set up special holding centres. In their communication, they referenced a May 2, 2025 directive from the Centre mandating identification of Bangladeshis and Rohingya people at the district level. A standard operating procedure (SOP) has been developed by the Union home ministry for their deportation. The state police are responsible for this identification process, and any Bangladeshis and Rohingya people found living illegally in India are to be detained at special holding centres.
