There is no provision in law or under the Constitution that allows private individuals to conduct such inquiries. Activists warned that such 'checking' or surveillance by private individuals could easily escalate into extortion and other forms of abuse.
Published Jan 21, 2026 | 3:11 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 21, 2026 | 3:11 PM
Migrant workers Bengaluru.
Synopsis: In the last few weeks, following the demolitions in Kogilu, several private groups, and even accused criminals out on bail, have been entering migrant settlements across Bengaluru, claiming to verify instances of undocumented migration. Under existing immigration laws, no provision allows private individuals to conduct such inquiries. Activists warned that such ‘checking’ or surveillance by private individuals could easily escalate into extortion and other forms of abuse.
Over the past few weeks, particularly after the demolitions in Bengaluru’s Kogilu Layout, several private groups, including people claiming to be activists, local media channels and even accused criminals out on bail, have been entering migrant settlements across the city, claiming to verify instances of undocumented migration.
The pattern erupted after the demolitions in Kogilu in December 2025, which had become a political flashpoint between Kerala and Karnataka, forcing the state’s leaders to announce rehabilitation measures for the displaced.
However, several Opposition leaders alleged that the state Congress government was announcing rehabilitation for “Bangladeshis”. Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, after visiting the demolition site, accused the Congress government of creating a “mini Bangladesh” in the state due to its alleged appeasement politics.
“The Congress government led by Siddaramaiah is creating mini Bangladeshs in Karnataka. After fooling Kannadigas for so long, they are now building a mini Bangladesh in the state,” Ashoka said while speaking to reporters after visiting the site. He further alleged that such settlements would turn into crime hubs and accused the government of favouring “Bangladeshis” in the name of rehabilitation.
Activists told South First that, after the circulation of this narrative, several migrant settlements are being targeted by private groups of citizens.
“The misinformation spread by the BJP branding residents as Bangladeshis has led to these checks by private individuals who have no legal authority to conduct them,” said Vinay Sreenivasa, advocate and member of the Alternative Law Forum.
Over the last few days, Puneeth Kerehalli, a murder-accused cow vigilante who is currently out on bail, has been repeatedly entering migrant worker dwellings and sheds, interrogating them about nationality, and demanding identity documents while threatening and intimidating them.
Videos of the same have been uploaded to his social media accounts, including X, Facebook and YouTube. In one such video uploaded on 14 January to his YouTube page, which has over 10k subscribers, Kerehalli is seen asking a woman, “Kaunsa desh hai aapka?” (Which country are you from?)
The Campaign Against Hate Speech (CAHS), a civil society group of activists, lawyers and academicians, that had called for urgent action against Kerehalli, alleged that he was seen intimidating the police and insisting that the police conduct an inquiry in his presence, and not in the police station, in the videos.
Bengaluru police briefly arrested him on Friday night before being released on bail on Saturday, for allegedly trespassing into a private property and threatening the owner, accusing him of renting it out to “Bangladeshi migrants”.
Sreenivasa told South First that Kerehalli wasn’t arrested under suitable sections. The CAHS had urged the police to book him under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 196 (for promoting enmity, hatred between different groups) and Section 197(1)(b) (For claiming that any group should be denied their rights as citizens due to their community affiliation), among others.
The police acted on a complaint filed by a man named Siddesh K, who alleged that Kerehalli and his associates trespassed into his house on 13 January.
After he was arrested, several of his supporters attempted to gather outside the Bannerghatta Police Station. However, the police prevented them from assembling. Kerehalli was granted bail on Saturday.
On his social media accounts, Kerehalli is back to sharing videos and pictures, making similar claims about Bangladeshi immigrants living in the city. In one such post on Facebook, he said that the “fight against illegal Bangladesh immigrants will not stop”.
In a post on X on 20 January, Kerehalli stated that he, his associate Dr Nagendra, along with KR Puram police personnel and media, conducted a “major operation” near KR Puram, after receiving information “that over 200 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are residing on hundreds of acres of land.”
“Some illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were nabbed, while others fled the scene! Who provided them with electricity, water, and land arrangements? Where is Karnataka heading? Karnataka is turning into a haven for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” he said in the post.
A police officer was seen in the video clip as well, raising questions about how a private citizen could conduct such ‘checks’ in the presence of a police officer. Kerehalli and four of his associates are accused of the murder of cattle trader Idrees Pasha.
One police officer from Bannerghatta Police Station told South First that no action has been initiated yet against Kerehalli for continuing to post videos on social media. Stating that such actions amount to a violation of rules, the officer added, “The police officers in the concerned area will take action.”
Similarly, several local media channels have been visiting migrant settlements across the city, asking residents to prove or explain their identity.
One such video, reshared by a former IPS officer and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao on X, shows a reporter from a channel named ‘Dodaballapura Samachara’ (Dodaballapura news), who is seen questioning a woman about where she is from. The woman is holding an Aadhaar card in her hand. He is seen sarcastically dismissing her identity claims, alleging that it was all a ‘story’.
“Now citizens have taken upon themselves to save the country. The state government administration has either failed completely or instructions are there to cooperate and nurture anti-India forces,” Rao said in his post on X.
In another video shared by the X profile Karnataka Portfolio, a person is seen questioning two men about how they crossed the Indian border despite the presence of the military and how they obtained Aadhaar cards.
The video was originally shared by an Instagram page called ‘Namma Bengaluru updates’. The bio of the profile states: “Daily updates, local news and trending stories.”
Activist R Kaleemullah from Swaraj India explained that NGOs and the state authorities are asked to provide details of illegal immigrants, if any, to the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which would then take the required action. “This kind of questioning by private individuals is inhuman. Shoving mics in their faces and asking them questions, most of whom are poor labourers, is a way to intimidate them,” he said.
Kaleemullah added that similar patterns of harassment had earlier been reported in Uttar Pradesh and Gurugram, and warned that the same tactics were now being replicated in Bengaluru.
He referred to an incident wherein a 27-year-old woman migrant labourer was arrested after a video showed her shouting slogans of ‘Jai Bangla’ during a demolition drive carried out against alleged illegal immigrants in Bengaluru. In the video, which went viral on social media, a person is heard asking the woman to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. She instead chanted ‘Jai Bangla’ before chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
“She is a poor woman, and she has still not got bail,” said Kaleemullah, alleging that such selective targeting of people perceived to be from Bangladesh is being deliberately fuelled in the run-up to the West Bengal elections.
The CAHS, in a letter sent via email to the Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP), noted that any undocumented migration is to be acted upon by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the FRRO and state authorities.
“As such, private citizens such as Puneeth Kerehalli have no right to unlawfully enter the homes of persons, harass, and intimidate them,” they said in the letter.
Under existing immigration laws, including the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 and allied statutes, powers to inquire into the status of undocumented migrants are vested only in the Union government, and officers authorised by it, as well as the state government and its police force.
There is no provision in law or under the Constitution that allows private individuals to conduct such inquiries. Activists warned that such “checking” or surveillance by private individuals could easily escalate into extortion and other forms of abuse.
The state Home Department, which is also expected to oversee the maintenance of law and order in the state, along with preventing trespassing into private property and vigilante justice, has not stated in this regard yet.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told South First that such actions (nationality checks) are not allowed to be carried out by private citizens. “The police will definitely take action after obtaining information about these cases,” he said.
Notably, the Supreme Court in a judgement in 2018 noted that nobody has the right to become a “self-appointed guardian” of law and forcibly administer his or her own interpretation of the law on others, especially not with violent means. It was hearing a case regarding the law and order situation (mob violence, protests and demonstrations) that had arisen before the release of the Bollywood movie ‘Padmaavat’.
“This court has time and time again underscored the supremacy of law and that one must not forget that administration of law can only be done by law-enforcing agencies recognised by law,” the court had noted.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
