Gurgaon verification drive: 4 holding centres shut, police to round up only ‘confirmed foreigners’

Over the past week, several migrant workers — mostly daily-wage labourers — were allegedly rounded up by the police as part of the drive, sparking panic among the Bengali-speaking migrant community and prompting many to leave the city. Families had claimed they had valid documentation — Aadhaar, PAN and ration cards and voter IDs — but the police detained their loved ones.

The move also left housing societies that depended on these workers for sanitation services struggling in terms of door-to-door waste collection.

Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Dr Arpit Jain, told The Indian Express on Saturday, “We have identified 10 Bangladeshis (staying here illegally) from those kept at the holding centres. The deportation process is already underway for seven of them.”
Dr Jain added that while further holding of suspected foreigners at these centres has been halted for now, the verification drive is on.

“Now, only those confirmed to be Bangladeshis, or those under strong suspicion of being foreign nationals, will be rounded up and taken to these centres pending verification,” he said.

Asked about the total number of men kept at the centres, the DCP did not share any figure. He, however, said many had been brought in across the week, and several were released the same day or within a day or two.

The men were released once the local district magistrate in their hometown confirmed the validity of their documents.

The police operations began following a letter from the Union Home Ministry, directing state governments to prepare a standard operating procedure to deport, in sufficient numbers, Bangladeshis and Rohingya staying illegally.

“… if any illegal foreign national is found living in any state/district, he will be detained and kept in a Special Holding Centre… the police is conducting special search operations for illegal foreign nationals to maintain law and order and peace in district Gurugram, for which Special Holding Centres have been acquired vide letter… dated 18.07.2025 of this office,” read a July 22 order from District Magistrate.

The police spokesperson on Saturday also asked citizens not to spread misinformation regarding alleged torture and violence on the part of the police during the operation.

“There is a lot of wrong information being shared online. So far, we have not received any such complaint; posts alleging torture are not genuine.”

On the background of the 10 men found to be Bangladeshi, he said it is a part of the investigation, and further information cannot be shared at this stage.