The Haryana administration has demolished the homes of approximately 300 migrant workers from West Bengal in Gurugram’s Sector-39, allegedly without prior notice. The demolition, carried out on Monday in Jharsha village under Sadar police station, has triggered outrage, with many claiming that the action was based on suspicions of them being “Bangladeshi” due to their Bengali language.
Eyewitnesses said that four to five police vehicles surrounded the settlement before bulldozers razed the makeshift homes. The affected workers, many of whom have lived in Gurugram for over a decade, are now left homeless. A migrant worker, who had been preparing to return home for Eid, described his devastation and said, “I had planned to celebrate with my family, but in an instant, that hope was shattered. My wife, children, and I have been living on the streets since our home was destroyed.”
Sources indicate that the settlement was home to laborers from districts like Nadia, Malda, and Murshidabad. These workers, engaged in occupations such as rickshaw pulling, factory work, street vending, and domestic labor, had constructed tin-roofed shelters on vacant land.
On March 24, local authorities arrived with a bulldozer and ordered residents to evacuate immediately. Before the workers could understand the reason, demolition began, flattening around 300 temporary houses.
Samad Sheikh, one of the displaced residents, while recounting the incident said, “Police gave us just 10 minutes to vacate. When we asked for a reason, they remained silent. We requested a day’s time, but they refused. Within moments, everything was gone.”
Many workers believe the demolition was driven by suspicions of them being ‘Bangladeshi’. Zakir Rahman, another laborer, told The Observer Post, “Speaking Bengali itself has become a crime here. We were labeled as Bangladeshis without any proof.”
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.
