Muslim couple forced to sell house after protests by Hindu residents

A Muslim couple in India have been thrown out of their newly purchased house by their Hindu neighbors who have told them they will not allow them to live there because of their religion.

Hindu residents of posh TDI City – an upscale residential block in the northern city of Moradabad – started protesting on Tuesday night after news of the sale became public.

A video of the protest that has gone viral shows a resident, Megha Arora, saying that resident Dr. Ashok Bajaj had sold her house to a Muslim family without consulting her.

“We cannot tolerate a Muslim family living right in front of our local temple. It is also a question of the safety of our women,” he said.

“We want the sale to be canceled and are asking the administration to cancel the registration of the house in the name of its new owners. We cannot allow people from other religions to come and live here. We cannot allow them to enter and continue Will not allow them to be kept. Should protest until they leave.”

Many residents also went to the District Magistrate’s office to lodge complaints. Outside they raised slogans against Dr. Bajaj and the Muslim couple.

The protests have had their expected effect. On Friday, Dr Bajaj told the BBC that a proposal had been agreed with the mediation of the city’s elected representative and the new Muslim owners would resell the house to the Hindu family already living in the housing society.

Dr Bajaj, who runs an eye hospital in the city and was living in the society for more than six years, said he had sold the house to a Muslim couple, who are both doctors and their families have known each other for 40 years. Knew since. The Muslim couple were no longer comfortable living in the house, he said.

He said the uproar over the sale was “unnecessary” and he did not expect it to become national news.

The protest started when he introduced the Muslim couple to his neighbors as a goodwill gesture.

Opposition to the sale of the houses “has not emerged out of nowhere” as there are already other Muslim families living in the colony and “we have always had good relations with our neighbours”, he said.

“The controversy is changing the fabric of the city. Our intention was not to create any kind of unrest with this transaction,” he said. He said there was “no law” against this transaction.

There is also no residents’ association in the colony which would be required to approve the sale, he said. “Now they’re woken up to make it.”

This is not the first time Muslim residents have faced opposition in Moradabad for buying houses in the Hindu-dominated area. In 2021, there were protests by residents and Hindu fundamentalist organizations after two Muslim families bought houses from Hindus.

Different lifestyles have long existed in rural India, where different castes and religions lived separately. Urban centers were meant to be melting pots where people could live together despite their differences. However, in reality, segregation continues to be experienced in many urban areas.

Discrimination against minority communities, especially Muslims, is common in many Indian cities, with many housing societies insisting on food habits such as vegetarianism to keep them out.

Muslims in states such as Gujarat and Maharashtra have often said that they are unable to buy or rent homes in Hindu neighbourhoods. A few years ago, she made a lot of headlines by making an allegation against Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi. Refused to give flat in Mumbai Because of his Muslim faith.

Tanveer Aijaz, a professor of politics and public policy at Delhi University, says denying Muslim couples the option to buy a home of their choice is “discriminatory and completely unconstitutional”.

“It is a violation of their fundamental and legal rights. It is a violation of the individual’s right to equality and liberty and if such cases increase, they put the Constitution of India in danger.”

Professor Aijaz says there are special rights for the protection of Dalits (who were earlier called untouchables) and women who are considered vulnerable groups, “but how come there are no rights for the protection of Muslims who are the most vulnerable group in India”. ? he asks.

This incident caused huge outrage in India as well and many people took to social media to express their anger.

Comedian Akash Banerjee, ex, wrote on Twitter, “Welcome to #NewIndia.” “A doctor sold his house to a fellow doctor…why would this cause such a huge protest/uproar in a posh housing society in Moradabad?” he asked.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas wrote, “As a nation we always claim unity in diversity. We should be ashamed of these incidents.”

The people protesting against the couple were “not nameless, faceless individuals,” another user wrote on Twitter.

Critics say these incidents are violence and discrimination against India’s Muslim community. have grown Over the past decade under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. anti muslim Hate Speech Incidents There has been a surge, most of which has been reported from BJP-ruled states – Moradabad is also located in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. BJP has been continuously denying these claims.

Professor Aijaz says the Moradabad incident “shows that religious polarization has deepened, that it is working at the grassroots level”.

But, he says he is hopeful that things will change for the better.

“Hinduism is based on pluralism. Most of the people I meet understand that hatred is against their religion. And that gives me hope.”

Follow BBC News India Instagram, youtube, Twitter And Facebook,