Ghaziabad, UP: The Ghaziabad police landed in controversy during a citizenship verification drive in a slum area after a video surfaced showing an officer allegedly using a so-called “machine” to identify Bangladeshis, prompting sharp criticism from political leaders and social media users.

The video, which went viral on Thursday, January 1, shows Kaushambi police personnel placing a mobile phone on the back of a family member while asking, “Bangladesh ke tho nahi ho? (Are you from Bangladesh?)”. Despite the man identifying himself as a native of Bihar, the officers are heard saying, “Machine tho Bangladeshi dikha rahi hai (The machine indicates you hail from Bangladesh).”

Reacting to the video, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale took to X and slammed the police action, questioning its legality and credibility.

“A police officer from Ghaziabad says he has a ‘machine that can be applied on the back to detect Bangladeshis’. He’s accompanied by RAF personnel from CRPF. To @dm_ghaziabad, @ghaziabadpolice, & @crpfindia: This is such a cutting-edge innovation. Either we can discuss your machine in Parliament in 3 weeks or else SUSPEND THESE OFFICERS,” Gokhale wrote, sharing the video.

Responding to the post, Police Commissionerate Ghaziabad wrote, “As part of efforts to control crime, the process of questioning and verification of suspicious persons in temporary settlements/slums is carried out from time to time. In the same context, the Kaushambi police conducted questioning and verification, during which documents were examined from people to verify their authenticity.”

The incident reportedly occurred during a routine citizenship verification exercise in a slum locality. The casual manner in which the questioning was conducted, coupled with the claim of using a “machine” to identify nationality, has drawn widespread outrage online.