Overview

• Roughly 25–30 panchayats in Hoshiarpur and some other villages have resolved to stop residence verification, tell undocumented migrants to leave, and, in a few cases, bar property purchase or local ID registration.
• Police and district officials have launched verification drives, forming teams to record migrants’ particulars, check backgrounds, and collect tenant details while some panchayats press for Police Clearance Certificates.
• Migrant workers are leaving or skipping work, with traders and farmers reporting labour shortages and disrupted market operations in areas such as Purhiran, and threats to vendors reported in Ludhiana.
• Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann cautioned against targeting migrants and said law and order will be enforced, as officials hold outreach meetings to prevent escalation.
• Industry bodies and labour unions urged protection for migrants, with leaders citing about 18 lakh workers and roughly 80% of unskilled industrial labour being migrants, and a union terming panchayat diktats unconstitutional.