In a demolition drive by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation targeting over 7,000 homes, thousands were displaced and left shelterless, causing damage to their lives and livelihoods. The demolition was launched on Tuesday near the Chandola Talab, covering more than 2.5 lakh square meters.
On April 29, the Gujarat High Court sustained the orders for the state authorities’ demolition drive, observing that the water body is on Government land and the structures are illegal. On April 28, over 4000 shanties were dismantled in Siyasatnagar and Bengali Vaas, leaving thousands of Muslims on the streets. These families, who mostly sustain themselves as labourers, rag pickers, and migrants from Bengal and Rajasthan, are unable to find alternative spaces that they can afford. The deposits and rent have shot up and are unaffordable.
The decision came following the Pahalgam attack, citing national security and the authorities alleging the area is occupied by “Bangladeshi infiltrators”. Since the attack, over 6500–mostly Muslims were taken into custody for checking citizenship status. In the same week, over a thousand were also arrested as undocumented immigrants. The arrested even included women and children. After 2-3 days, 850 of them were released, since they were found to be Indians.
“To hide its failure, the administration first demolished around 2000 houses, and now the process of demolishing 6500 houses is ongoing. This action of the government is completely to harass the Muslims by making them homeless.” Nafees, the convenor of the Gujarat-based Minority Coordination Committee, was quoted as saying by Maktoob.
Thousands of families are stranded with nowhere to go, with women and children confronting challenges to security and livelihood.
People register their fury and helplessness by the move from the state, and the framing of them as Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants. Families say that they were born there and have been living for 50 years. And they also have all the documents with them.
Responding to the claim of addressing them as Bangladeshis, one of the residents sayid, “Why would we go to Bangladesh when we are not Bangladeshi. I was born here and since then I have been living here.”
The Minority Welfare Committee group based in Gujarat also condemned the action as ‘inhumane’ and demanded rehabilitation.
Muslim bodies slammed the Government as bulldozer-driven and said it is brutal to ignore the state of thousands of families left out in the extreme heat. They also reiterated that they are all Indian citizens, have lived here for years, and have Aadhar cards, ration cards, and other documents.
