“These pictures are not just pictures, they are emotions. Each of them holds a story,” That’s how Glance Kashmir, a group of Kashmiri youth, began their post describing the humiliation they faced while trying to rent a flat in Kanpur ahead of an art exhibition.
The group had arrived in Kanpur on October 22 for an exhibition that was scheduled to begin on October 24. As part of their usual routine, they looked for a small flat or room to stay in so they could cook their own meals. But what followed was a painful reminder of prejudice and discrimination.
“For two days, I searched continuously but found nothing,” a member of the group wrote in a post. “During my search, I heard many unpleasant comments. I ignored them with a smile or a polite ‘thank you.’”
The situation worsened when one person told them bluntly: “Musalmaan aur Ahir ko makaan kya, makaan ka naksha bhi nahi dikhayenge.”
(“For Muslims and Ahirs, we won’t even show the plan of the house, let alone rent it.”)
The artists said they decided not to share the experience at first and kept looking. On the third day, they finally found a flat for ₹15,000 a month. “It was far from the exhibition venue, but I said, ‘It’s okay, let’s take it,’” the post read.
They paid ₹5,000 in advance to the landlady, promising to return with the remaining amount after setting up their exhibition stall. But when they came back that evening, carrying groceries and vegetables, things changed.
“The landlady asked, ‘You are…?’ The moment she learned our identity, her tone changed,” they wrote. “She said we had to leave immediately.”
The group said they pleaded with her, explaining they were exhausted, hungry, and had nowhere to go at night. “Please, just let us stay tonight,” one of them begged. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning. We have all our things with us…where will we go at this hour?”
But the landlady refused and returned their money. “You have to leave right now,” she told them.
“So we left… tired, hungry, and heartbroken,” the post concluded.
Discrimination against Kashmiris, particularly Muslims, in finding rental housing has been widely documented in Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Many landlords reportedly refuse to rent to them, while others ask tenants to hide their Kashmiri identity or religion to secure a flat.
