Police officials in Bengaluru have issued a notice to companies in a business park in Bengaluru asking for details of people from Jammu and Kashmir.
"With the above subject I would like to bring to your kind notice to maintaining the Law & Order purpose please give the details of Employees working in various companies in Manyata Embassy Park Nagawara Ring Road Bangalore 45, belongs to Jammu & Kashmir (sic)," reads the notice issued by the police inspector at Sampigehalli police station to the management of Manyata Embassy Park in Nagawara.
The notice was issued on March 5 and it comes seven months after Article 370 that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated by the Union government, Times of India reported.
Police stated that they asked companies housed in the business park to provide details of people from Jammu and Kashmir citing law and order as the reason.
The notice asks for details including names of employees from Jammu and Kashmir, their phone numbers, current address in Bengaluru, their native address, and the details of the dates he/she is working with the respective company.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, however, stated that the police department had not issued directions to collect details of employees from Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the notice was criticised by activists and lawyers in the city. "It is not only morally wrong but technically illegal to issue a notice to collect details of employees who come from a particular region. There is no provision under the law to collect details like this," advocate and civil rights activist Clifton Rozario told TNM.
"If the police commissioner is denying he issued directions for this, he should take action against the police station and official who issued the notice," Clifton added.
An employee working in the business park said that the police notice was wrong. "I feel it is wrong but I have not seen this happen yet. For the last few days, employees are not going to the tech park because of the coronavirus spread," an employee said.