Detained and Tortured: Bengali-Speaking Muslim Migrant Workers Targeted by Delhi Police
- Human Rights Research Center
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan
July 7, 2025
HRRC strongly condemns the alleged abuse and imprisonment of Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant labourers by Delhi police and calls for an immediate investigation and accountability. We advocate for the protection of human rights and dignity for all people, regardless of their origin or circumstances.
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The Delhi Police has been accused of wrongfully arresting and torturing Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant labourers while falsely branding them as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The allegations arose during a police search on June 25 at a brick factory in Haryana's Jhajjar region, when seven workers, including youngsters aged six and eleven, were arrested.
According to reports, the workers from West Bengal were subjected to severe mistreatment, including the confiscation of mobile phones and money, as well as denial of food, medical help, and legal advice. Activist Kirity Roy alleged that the labourers were Indian residents who had been returned from Bangladeshi enclaves following the 2015 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).
The 2015 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) was a historic agreement in which India and Bangladesh exchanged enclaves to address long-standing border issues. The deal facilitated the transfer of over 50 enclaves, granting citizenship to approximately 50,000 individuals, with around 14,000 receiving Indian citizenship and 36,000 becoming Bangladeshi nationals. Enclaves are small pockets of land that belong to one country or state but are surrounded by the territory of another country or state.
In the context of the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, enclaves refer to small areas of land that were part of India but located within Bangladesh, and vice versa. The imprisoned labourers were supposedly Indian citizens who had been deported from Bangladeshi enclaves under the LBA. Despite obtaining Indian citizenship, they appear to have had problems owing to a lack of rehabilitation and compensation, causing many to relocate to other regions of India, such as Haryana (a state in India), for work.
The Delhi Police's actions in arresting and reportedly torturing these labourers on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants might be caused by a lack of knowledge or recognition of the labourers' Indian citizenship and history of repatriation under the LBA.
Despite legal repatriation, Roy said that the rehabilitation and compensation promised to returnees were never provided, pushing many to relocate for employment. Roy described incidents of alleged custody torture in a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including one victim who was beaten on his palms and soles with sharpened objects before being discharged in a state of destitution.
The NHRC has failed to respond to the charges, and many attempts to contact the Delhi Police have gone unanswered. Human rights organisations have expressed concern over a pattern of Bengali-speaking Muslims being misidentified as illegal immigrants and subjected to wrongful detention and deportation.
This is not an isolated situation, as evidenced by a Deutsche Welle article on the case of a Bengali-speaking Muslim woman named Shona Bano, who was deported to Bangladesh because of her language and faith. The research emphasises the importance of increased inspection of the Delhi Police's conduct, as well as the protection of human rights for vulnerable communities.
The situation underlines the suffering of migrant workers and the need for improved protection of their rights. The charges against the Delhi Police are serious, and they require additional investigation to guarantee that those involved are held accountable.
Glossary
Accountable: Responsible or answerable for one's actions.
Allegations: Claims or accusations made about someone or something, often without proof.
Alleged: Said to have happened or been true, but not proven.
Branding: Labelling or identifying someone or something in a particular way, often negatively.
Compensation: payment to unemployed or injured workers or their dependents.
Confiscation: to snatch, take away, or seize something.
Citizenship: The state of being a citizen of a particular country, with associated rights and responsibilities.
Custody: The state of being held or kept in a place, often by authority, such as police custody.
Deportation: The act of forcing someone to leave a country, often due to immigration issues.
Destitution: A state of extreme poverty or lack of resources.
Detention: The act of holding someone in custody, often by authority.
Facilitate: to help (something) run more smoothly and effectively.
Immigrants: People who move to a new country to live and work.
Imprisoned: Held in prison or custody, often as punishment.
Isolated: Separated, alone, or insulated.
Palms: The inner surfaces of the hands.
Rehabilitation: The process of helping someone recover or regain their health, status, or abilities.
Repatriation: the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship.
Soles: The bottom surfaces of the feet.
Torture: The act of causing severe physical or mental pain, often intentionally.
Vice Versa: with the order changed; with the relations reversed.
Vulnerable: Easily hurt, influenced, or attacked, often due to weakness or lack of protection.
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