Gurgaon admin probes reports of slum dwellers leaving days after panchayat call to boycott Muslim shopkeepers

According to locals and neighbours at the slum in sector 1 IMT Manesar, most of those who left are scrap dealers or ragpickers. On Saturday, the slum cluster, with over 50 shanties, was largely vacant, with scrap material and people’s belongings lying around. “The matter has come to my knowledge and we are examining it,” Gurgaon deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said.

Satpal, who rents jhuggis in the slum, said, “I received information that at least 20-25 shanties that I had rented to scrap dealers have been vacated this week and the families have gone back to their village in Assam. After the panchayat was held, they felt scared and anxious.”

Bimla Yadav, who lives in a house adjacent to the slum cluster, said, “Some families left for their home in Assam due to fear.”

Locals also claimed some people had been making rounds of the cluster with a copy of a memorandum that panchayat members had submitted to the district administration, claiming that a drive to check ID cards and documents of people had been initiated and those found staying illegally would be evicted. “People here are poor and not educated. They got worried and packed up their belongings,” said Bhat Chand, a local.

Mohit Yadav, who was among the people who had organised the panchayat, claimed at least 400 people have vacated the slums in sector 1 IMT Manesar. “We had only asked for police verification of documents. Many people have been staying illegally here. We do not know if they are Rohingya or Bangladeshis. We did not threaten or ask anyone to leave. The fact that they left on their own suggests they were staying here illegally,” claimed Yadav.

Police, however, denied reports of people leaving due to threats. Manbir Singh, DCP Manesar, said, “We’ve not received any such reports. People may have left of their own accord.”

On July 3, the panchayat held in Manesar had urged the gathering to form village-level committees to enforce an economic boycott in their respective villages in Manesar region.

In a memorandum addressed to the deputy commissioner, panchayat members had stated that “jihadist and fundamentalist elements had infiltrated commercial and residential spaces” in Gurgaon and Manesar, and called for eviction of illegal immigrants. “There should be an immediate enquiry into this and those found staying illegally should be evicted. Many here are involved in religious conversions and strict action should be taken against them,” the memorandum read.