Gujarat: Protest In Vadodara As Muslim Woman Gets Flat Under Housing Scheme

Residents Motnath Residency Cooperative Housing Society Limited in Gujarat are out in the streets protesting against allotment of an apartment to a Muslim woman. The 44-year-old woman is a government employee and the residents are protesting as they call the society 'Hindu dominated'.

The woman is employed with the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development and was granted the flat under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana, a low-income housing initiative managed by Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), as per a 2017 report by Indian Express.

On June 10, 2023, a protest was taken out by the residents of the housing society. 33 of the residents wrote to the District Collector and other officials before the woman and her son moved in. They claimed that the complex is predominantly Hindu and the presence of a Muslim family would disrupt the peaceful life of 461 families. They went ahead and described the allotment as akin to "setting fire" to the area's peaceful life.

Previous attempts to invalidate allotment

In March 2019, residents petitioned against her allotment. Later in 2020, the residents wrote to the Chief Minister's Office seeking to invalidate her housing allotment.

Government Response

Officials from VMC's housing department stated that government schemes do not segregate applicants based on religion, and the housing draw was conducted according to norms. The Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana adheres to non-discriminatory principles, ensuring no segregation based on religion.

The woman currently resides with her parents and son in another area of Vadodara due to the ongoing dispute.

"I have grown up in a mixed neighbourhood in Vadodara, and my family never believed in the concept of ghettos... I always wanted my son to grow up in an inclusive neighbourhood, but my dreams have been shattered as 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....", she told Indian Express.

Meanwhile, protest by the residents continues as they seek the reassignment of her allotted unit to another housing scheme.