Panic grips Assam migrant workers facing eviction in U.P.

For 38-year-old Imtiyaz Ali, who lives in the slum of Phool Bagh Bahadurpur, December 4 started like an ordinary day. This changed when a team from the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, led by mayor Sushma Kharkwal, came to check documents to identify “Bangladeshi and Rohingya” people living illegally in the area.

Ms Kharkwal alleged that some residents living in the area under Gudumba police station limits were unable to produce legal documents and she was pushing for their removal. Several video clips of civil authorities allegedly carrying out checks went viral on social media.

On November 22, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued instructions to all District Magistrates to identify alleged illegal immigrants and take stringent action against them. It was also ordered to establish temporary detention centers in each region to house “identified spies”.

“It was a day I will never forget. Our families were crying. [authorities] They were not willing to listen to us. They took my wheelbarrow and told us to vacate the shanty within 15 days. They should have checked our documents first, but they entered our homes and robbed us of our livelihood,” said Mr. Ali, a native of Barpeta in Assam.

Mr. Ali said the incident sparked panic among more than 50 families from Assam who had moved to Lucknow to earn a living by collecting scrap and selling it to private dealers. “We are poor people and came to Lucknow just to earn some money. We earn ₹8,000-10,000 a month and pay rent of ₹1,000 per person to a private land owner. We are Indian citizens. We have never been involved in any illegal activity,” he said.

Sujan Ali, a slum dweller from Assam, said, “We have been living in Lucknow for 18 years and have all valid documents like Aadhaar, PAN and voter ID cards. Our names are also in the National Register of Citizens. If anyone is staying here illegally, we will hand him over, but do not terrorize us. Give back our wheelbarrows and let us work. I have not been able to work since December 4.”

Opposition parties described the initiative as “an intimidation tactic of the BJP government in the state” and questioned the mayor’s authority to check people’s identity documents.

A delegation from the Congress visited the slum on Sunday and vowed to stand with the migrants from Assam. It also demanded that civic authorities apologize for “harassing” residents.

The Congress member said: “We visited the slum and found that they had all valid identity documents proving that they are Indian citizens. They came here to seek livelihood as floods are common in the areas they come from in Assam. The slum is located on private land, so why is the municipal corporation asking them to vacate within 15 days? Why are the wheelbarrows being taken away? This is wrong. We demand an apology from the authorities. Such actions based on language or region divide the nation.” secretary Shahnavaz Alam.