NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leaders have written to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking intervention to stop alleged violation of human rights, harassment and extortion of Bengali-speaking migrants at the hands of Delhi Police and other authorities.
In the letter, the senior CPM leader and former Rajya Sabha Brinda Karat and the secretary of the Delhi State Committee, Anurag Saxena, mentioned a couple of instances of ‘abuse and intimidation’ from different parts of the city in the ongoing process of 'identification of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' in Delhi.
“We have received several complaints of harassment of genuine citizens of India on the grounds that they speak Bengali…We were shocked to find blatant violations of minimum human rights, harassment and in some cases, corruption amounting to extortion… We hope you will consider these issues and intervene to restore human rights, humane behaviour of the law enforcement agencies and adequately compensate the victims for their losses,” read the communiqué.
The Left party leader highlighted how the families living in Bawana, RK Puram and Chanakyapuri slums were picked and reportedly beaten up by the police personnel.
“The process of identification of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the capital of India is an example of violation of minimum human rights. In the process, genuine Indian citizens are being targeted on the grounds of language and religion. … There are international norms for the deportation of illegal immigrants. The present methods of identification in Delhi violate all such norms,” the leader stated.
Meanwhile, the CPI (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation (CPIML-Liberation) has also expressed solidarity with residents of Jai Hind Camp in Vasant Kunj.
The settlers are mainly domestic workers and sanitation workers and a majority of them are from West Bengal. The police snapped power and water supply to the Camp in view of the court orders.
“While there is no demolition order, the residents are living in fear of demolition, especially after the meters have been cut, and given the government's propensity to demolish Muslim and working-class homes arbitrarily. Much like Wazirpur and Bhoomiheen Camp, here too, while the settlement may be informal, the residents were given voter cards, Aadhar cards and other government documents on these addresses. CPI-ML stands with the constitutionally guaranteed right to shelter for all as part of the right to life (Article 21),” a statement issued by the party said.
Earlier, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Government for stopping the supply to Jai Hind Camp.
“Having failed in their attempts to deprive Bengalis in West Bengal, BJP is now exporting their Bangla-Birodhi agenda to other parts of the country strategically and systemically. Disturbing reports have emerged from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh, where Bengali-speaking individuals are facing targeted persecution. And now, this pattern of hostility has reached even the national capital…Bengal stands in solidarity with every oppressed voice. We will raise this issue in every possible forum,” she posted on X.
