Why the Delhi elections have put the city’s Bengali Muslims on edge

“Anyone who speaks Bangla is suspected to be a Bangladeshi,” Anisur Rahman, a 44-year-old garment seller, said with a hint of sarcasm. For over 20 years, Rahman has been a resident of Bangali Basti – a slum of nearly 1,500 shanties located in a corner of the Vasant Kunj locality in Delhi.

Like Rahman, the majority of the residents of the slum hail from the north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. Over the last few weeks, they have had to give proof of their citizenship to the police. Twice since the last week of December, the police have conducted drives in Bangali Basti to check documents like Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration card of those living in the slum.

“The police even went to my village in Cooch Behar to check if the address on my Aadhaar card was genuine,” a woman who requested anonymity, told Scroll.

The police action in Bangali Basti of Vasant Kunj is not an isolated affair. Since December, the Delhi Police have been conducting these drives in many Bengali Muslim-dominated localities on orders given by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. On December 10, Saxena had directed the Delhi chief secretary and police commissioner to launch a two-month drive to identify...

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