Lucknow: Two districts of Assam, Barpeta and Kamrup, have repeatedly figured during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision drive being carried out by the Lucknow Police and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation in the city’s slum clusters, prompting wider verification and inter-state coordination.
Officials involved in the exercise said a clear pattern has emerged during door-to-door checks. A large number of slum residents under scrutiny have identified Barpeta or Kamrup as their native districts. The recurrence of the same two districts, located nearly 1,500 km from Lucknow, across several slum pockets has led authorities to deepen investigations and initiate cross-verification with agencies in Assam.
Joint teams of the police and civic body have been surveying informal settlements in Gudamba, Dubagga, Indira Nagar, Khadra, Para, Bijnour and areas under the Hazratganj police station. These slums are largely inhabited by migrant workers engaged in rag picking, waste collection, construction work, domestic labour and small manufacturing units.
Senior officials said the SIR drive aims to verify identity documents, identify overstaying migrants and trace people living without valid papers. Deputy Commissioner of Police South Nipun Agarwal said Barpeta and Kamrup emerged as common links during checks in the Aurangabad Jagir locality under Bijnour police station.
In Phoolbagh colony under Gudamba police station, officials found more than 300 people from around 70 families living in makeshift shanties. Most residents claimed to have migrated from Barpeta or Kamrup. Several produced National Register of Citizens documents issued in Assam and said their families had lived there for generations before moving to Lucknow in search of livelihood.
Some residents alleged repeated verification despite producing documents. Others said they had migrated to Lucknow over the past two decades due to limited employment opportunities in Assam. However, officials maintained that a significant number of residents failed to produce acceptable identity documents during the checks.
A senior police officer said the frequent mention of the same two districts by people without valid papers had raised concerns. Authorities are examining whether all such individuals genuinely belong to Indian families settled in Assam or whether the district names are being used as a cover. The possibility of organised networks coaching illegal immigrants to cite identical native locations is also being probed. According to officials, some individuals claiming to be from Assam possess government IDs linked to the two districts, while others cite connections with West Bengal, making the issue complex and requiring coordination among multiple agencies.
The civic body has also intensified its action. Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal recently carried out a raid in a slum and said many residents were unable to produce basic identity documents. She said over 300 to 400 people were living in the slums, but only a few could show Aadhaar cards, while many could not even identify their local MLA or representatives. Residents have been asked to vacate the area within 15 days as part of the municipal drive to check suspected illegal immigrants.
Officials said the verification drive has also impacted the municipal workforce. Around 160 Lucknow Municipal Corporation employees, including sanitation workers, garbage vehicle drivers and door-to-door waste collectors, reportedly stopped reporting for duty after being asked to submit documents for verification.
Various studies estimate the population of Bengali Muslim migrants working as rag pickers and waste collectors in Lucknow to range between 30,000 and 90,000. While many claim origins in lower Assam, officials said no documentary evidence has so far established that any individual under scrutiny is not an Indian citizen. Despite their role in the city’s informal waste management system, the community continues to face repeated verification, social stigma and an uncertain future amid the ongoing SIR drive.
