Bengaluru cops detain hundreds of people in ‘illegal migrant’ drive, activists accuse assault

Hours after Bengaluru Police launched a citywide drive to identify suspected illegal immigrants, a group of civil liberties organisations has accused the force of illegally detaining and assaulting hundreds of migrant workers, including women and children.In a complaint to the Karnataka Home Minister, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), Domestic Workers Rights Union (DWRU), and All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) alleged that police teams entered slum settlements across the city early Saturday, August 8, detaining people in the name of identifying Bangladeshi nationals. They said the people detained were predominantly poor, daily-wage and migrant workers. According to the complaint, police entered homes between 6:30 and 7:30 am and, even after residents produced identity documents, forced some into police vehicles and took them to police stations, convention centres and marriage halls.Lawyers and activists from the four organisations visited these sites and spoke with detainees and officials. At Varthur, 41 people, including women, were detained, and at least six alleged they were beaten with lathis, among them a 60-year-old man, a man who was already injured and unwell, and a 30-year-old who reportedly sustained serious injuries after being beaten by four officers. At Bandepalya, more than 200 people, including women and children, were detained across four settlements, while at Hebbagodi, around 150 people were detained, and police allegedly broke down doors and CCTV equipment, with activists saying they personally saw more than 50 phones confiscated.At Parappana Agrahara, more than 400 people were detained across four localities, with phones confiscated and a group of 20 people locked in a separate room as suspected foreign nationals. Smaller numbers were reported elsewhere: around 75 people detained at Somasundrapalya, around 40 at HAL, four at Whitefield, 15 at Mahadevapura, and around 30 at Marathahalli.The organisations also alleged that police seized phones and examined private messages and call logs, objecting to people being referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) based solely on international numbers in call records, arguing this doesn't establish foreign citizenship.The complaint called the detentions unconstitutional, citing Article 21 and Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which governs arrest procedures. It argued that the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 doesn't permit detention merely for verification, and that nationality cannot be inferred from language, religion or perceived identity. Some detainees reportedly said this wasn't the first time they'd been asked to prove Indian citizenship.The groups further accused police of obstructing lawyers seeking to meet detainees, refusing information, and threatening to file cases against those questioning the operation. While some detainees were released, others reportedly remained in custody under "verification" with no clarity on next steps.The allegations stem from 'Operation Mukta,' a special verification drive launched by Bengaluru City Police on the commissioner's orders, described as a continuing, regular exercise. More than 500 personnel were deployed in the Whitefield division alone, covering over 30 locations there and 15–20 in Electronic City.Whitefield DCP Saidulu Adavath said the drive aimed to check documents and backgrounds of "suspicious" individuals. Teams searched Whitefield, Varthur, Kadugodi, Balagere Road, Bellandur, Marathahalli, Mahadevapura and Electronic City (including Hebbagodi). Around 40 people were detained in the Whitefield division for verification; four were identified as Bangladeshi nationals based on recovered documents, with others still being verified.Police visited makeshift settlements, asking residents for documents like Aadhaar and voter ID cards; those unable to produce valid documents were taken for further verification. Settlements included people from Bangladesh as well as West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Nepal. Police said origin from these states/countries alone doesn't establish foreign nationality, and Indian citizens would be allowed to remain once verified. Where documents indicated foreign nationality, cases would be referred to the FRRO, with deportation following legal procedure after an order was obtained.Police found large clusters of makeshift housing, around 150 sheds at one site and over 100 at another,  reportedly rented for Rs 2,000–3,000 monthly. Adavath said police would also examine whether landowners facilitated such accommodation, noting many sheds were built and rented out by local residents to construction labourers and other workers, including domestic workers, drivers and delivery personnel.The complaint said the operation's scale went beyond lawful verification and demanded: immediate release of remaining detainees, medical treatment for those allegedly injured, an independent inquiry, identification and disciplinary action against involved personnel, FIR registration for alleged offences, preservation of CCTV footage and records, compensation for those illegally detained or assaulted, and clear directives that future verification drives comply with the Constitution, BNSS, and Supreme Court guidelines.The controversy follows a recent Karnataka High Court matter in which the court questioned Bengaluru police over a criminal case against a doctor-activist who had identified a person he alleged was an illegal Bangladeshi resident. That case arose after the alleged immigrant filed a complaint against the doctor; the High Court stayed further investigation, with Justice M Nagaprasanna observing that the system shouldn't discourage people from reporting suspected illegal immigration.