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‘Hand-written messages’ in Gurugram target Muslim workers
The hate posters were pasted outside the rooms where migrant workers, many of them Muslims, live in sectors 69, 70 and 71 between 6am and 7am on Sunday.
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Posters threatening Muslim migrant workers to leave and warning that their hutments will be set on fire have triggered panic in some sectors of Gurugram, with police saying that strict action will be taken against those responsible, and Hindu groups saying they had nothing to do with the act.
The hand-written messages were pasted outside the rooms where migrant workers, many of them Muslims, live in sectors 69, 70 and 71 between 6am and 7am on Sunday. “Vacate the slums within two days else we will set them on fire and they will themselves be responsible for your death,” read one such note.
HT visited a slum in Sector 70, where handwritten posters in Hindi were put up, threatening Muslim migrants to leave.
The notices have sparked fear among migrant workers, many of whom have told their employers that they fear a reprisal of the violence on July 31 and August 1, when clashes during a Hindu procession in neighbouring Nuh district spilled over, killing six people and injuring at least 88. Many migrant workers were threatened during that time, and fled the city to save their lives.
Shahid Khan, a native of Malda in West Bengal who worked at Sector 70, said he decided to leave the city along with his wife. “We had returned on August 21 but with the present situation , it’s not safe anymore…My wife is pregnant and I am scared for her and my child,” he said.
Varun Singla, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said police teams were deployed in all the areas with a high population of Muslim migrants. “We are trying to identify the person and strict action will be taken against the miscreant for disrupting peace and spreading fake messages,” he said.
However, VHP members said they did not paste these posters. “Someone is intentionally trying to tarnish our image,” said Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a VHP member. The posters have led to many people leaving. Ajay Sharma, member of Tulip Ivory residents welfare association in Sector 70, said that the domestic help and car cleaners were living in fear. “Deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav personally visited the area and had asked migrants not to leave and had deployed additional forces for their safety. He assured peace and safety for people. We have now decided to hold a peace march to support the community,” he added.
On Sunday, many residents said their Muslim domestic helpers, car cleaners, cooks, security guards and drivers did not report to work. Some factories, salons, and even shops at malls also reported that Muslim workers did not come in, said district officials. Other residents called for the police to take stricter action. “The local authorities and law enforcement should take note of it and act swiftly before any serious incident take place,” said Durgesh Mishra, a resident of Tulip Purple in Sector 70.
After the communal clashes in Haryana earlier this month, migrant workers — those employed in factories, restaurants, households and at construction sites — left Gurugram in droves or were too scared to report to work after they were threatened by some local residents.
Most returned to the city, but they said the posters had struck fresh fear in them.
Hamza Hussain, a native of West Bengal, said that he felt the city was no longer safe for Muslims. “We are being held responsible for the communal violence whereas we had no role to play. We are suffering since then and have been travelling from one place to another,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHORLeena DhankharLeena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More
