Protests in Gujarat Housing Society against Muslim woman’s allotment

Citizens of Motnath Residency Cooperative Housing Society in Gujarat protest against housing allowance to a Muslim female, seeking its invalidation.

Background of the Allotment

Residents of the Motnath Residency Cooperative Housing Society Limited in Gujarat are actively protesting against and seeking to invalidate the housing allotment granted to a Muslim woman.

The woman, a government employee, is facing severe discrimination as the residents claim the housing complex is predominantly Hindu.

The Incident

According to an Indian Express report, the 44-year-old Muslim woman, employed in the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, was allotted a house in Vadodara’s Harni district in 2017.

This allotment was part of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) low-income housing complex under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana.

Before she and her minor son could move in, 33 residents of the housing complex wrote to the District Collector and other authorities in 2019, demanding that her allotted dwelling unit be invalidated and that she be relocated to another housing scheme.

They argued that the Harni area is a “Hindu-dominated peaceful area” with no Muslim settlements within a four-kilometer radius. The residents claimed that her presence would disrupt the peace of the 461 families living in the complex.

Ongoing Discrimination

The woman informed The Indian Express that in 2020, residents also wrote to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) seeking to invalidate her allotment. The recent protest against her started on June 10, 2023.

Personal Impact

Sharing her ordeal, the woman, who currently lives with her parents in another area of the city, expressed her distress.

She said, “I have grown up in a mixed neighborhood in Vadodara and my family never believed in the concept of ghettos. I always wanted my son to grow up in an inclusive neighborhood but my dreams have been shattered.

It has been almost six years and there is no solution to the opposition I am facing. My son is now in Class 12 and old enough to understand what is going on. The discrimination will affect him mentally.”

Conclusion

This incident highlights the ongoing issues of communal discrimination and the challenges faced by minority communities in accessing equitable housing opportunities.

Despite legal allotments and government schemes intended to promote inclusivity, societal prejudices continue to obstruct progress towards a more inclusive and tolerant society.