In a bid to root out illegal immigrants, Uttar Pradesh Police have rolled out ‘Operation Torch’ in Varanasi, conducting door-to-door document checks on long-term non-native residents to bolster law and order.
Uttar Pradesh Police launched ‘Operation Torch’ in Varanasi on 16 December 2025 to scrutinise identities of non-native residents living there for over five years, aiming to detect illegal immigrants and ensure public safety.
Teams from all 23 police stations are involved, covering homes, hotels, and paying guest accommodations; no arrests as of 18 December, but verification persists amid local cooperation and privacy worries.
Police stress security needs, while residents and rights groups seek balanced approaches. Latest updates indicate over 10,000 households checked with high compliance.
Door-to-Door Checks Unfold Across the City
Police personnel, numbering around 500, fan out daily from dawn, equipped with digital scanners and lists of target addresses drawn from rental registries and utility records. They demand proof like Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, passports, or rental agreements, cross-verifying against national databases.
Focus areas include densely populated zones such as Dashashwamedh Ghat, Godowlia, and Sigra, where migrant workers and pilgrims often settle long-term.
Varanasi Senior Superintendent of Police Girish Chandra Srivastava elaborated during a press briefing: “This proactive measure safeguards our city’s harmony. Many non-natives have resided here peacefully, but intelligence points to a few exploiting lax checks.
We request full cooperation-valid documents clear any doubts instantly.” Preliminary figures reveal 80% compliance, with 2,000 minor discrepancies flagged for follow-up, such as expired visas or mismatched addresses.
One resident, a textile trader from Bihar named Rajesh Kumar, shared: “They checked our papers politely, but it felt intrusive at 6 am. Still, if it keeps troublemakers away, I’m all for it.”
Hotels and guest houses report similar scrutiny, with owners like Meera Devi from a Lanka Road facility noting: “We’ve hosted families for years; police advised better record-keeping. No issues so far.” No detentions or deportations have occurred yet, but teams warn of stricter action if forged documents surface.
Roots in Rising Security Alerts and Past Drives
Varanasi, revered as Hinduism’s spiritual heart and drawing over 50 million visitors yearly via the Ganges ghats, grapples with unique vulnerabilities. Recent intelligence from central agencies highlighted cross-border influxes from Nepal and Bangladesh, fuelling fears of anti-social elements blending into the crowd.
This operation echoes 2023’s ‘Operation Shield’, which verified 1.5 lakh individuals statewide, leading to 150 deportations and exposing fake identities linked to petty crimes.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, known for his zero-tolerance stance, reinforced the drive on 17 December via social media: “Uttar Pradesh welcomes genuine settlers but draws a firm line against infiltrators threatening our sovereignty and safety.”
Data from the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad shows a 20% rise in suspicious activities in eastern districts since 2024, prompting such measures. Local MLA from Varanasi South, Dr Neel Ratan Singh, added: “Pilgrims enrich our culture, but unchecked migration strains resources. This verifies bonafide residents without targeting communities.”
Humanising the effort, accounts emerge of long-settled families—such as a Rohingya refugee-turned-rickshaw puller—who complied swiftly, easing tensions. Yet, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board flagged risks of “overreach,” urging judicial oversight.
Broader Context: UP’s Immigration Crackdown Evolves
This fits into Uttar Pradesh’s decade-long push against illegal migration, intensified post-2019 Citizenship Amendment Act debates. Statewide, similar operations in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar yielded 500 detections last year. Varanasi’s version leverages tech like facial recognition apps, trialling a pilot that flags 95% matches accurately.
Critics, including Amnesty India, warn of profiling minorities, citing a 2024 Supreme Court directive for “proportionate policing.”
Economically, the city thrives on tourism worth ₹10,000 crore annually, but locals lament resource strain from unverified migrants. A recent survey by Banaras Hindu University found 15% of residents as “outsiders,” mostly from Bihar and Jharkhand-legal but undocumented.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Security operations like ‘Operation Torch’ are vital for protecting communities, yet they must never erode the dignity and privacy of ordinary residents, many fleeing hardship elsewhere.
At The Logical Indian, we stand for empathy, dialogue, and harmony, advocating verification drives that embrace community leaders, transparent data-sharing, and appeals processes to build trust over division.
True law and order flourishes through coexistence, not suspicion.
