Mumbai : A 25-year old London-educated woman advertising professional was refused permission to hire a flat in Wadala, central Mumbai on grounds that she was a Muslim.
Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse has ordered a probe into the incident here on Wednesday.
(Credit: NDTV)
The incident involving Misbah N. Quadri – hailing from Ahmedabad, but living and working in the city since five years – comes barely a week after a Muslim MBA, Zeeshan Ali Khan was denied a job at Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd, a top ranking diamond company on religious grounds.
Taking a serious view of the continuing anti-Muslim sentiments in certain quarters, Maharashtra Minorities Commission Chairman M. H. Khan led a delegation on Wednesday evening and apprised Khadse of the matter.
The minister has ordered a probe and a MMC team will visit the builder of Sanghvi Heights building in Wadala, close to her office in a leading advertising and media group.
“Regarding Khan, we have started a probe and police have registered a FIR. As far as the girl (Misbah)’s complaint is concerned, we shall probe and follow up with action,” Khadse told reporters.
Early April, Quadri finalized the deal for renting one bedroom in the 3-BHK flat and paid an initial cash deposit of Rs.24,000 to the broker, identified only as one Bansal.
Bansal refused to give a written agreement for the flat in Sanghvi Heights, and demanded the remaining Rs.9,000 deposit, plus advance rentals, and allegedly threatened her with police action for non-compliance.
Later, he telephonically informed Misbah that the housing society debars Muslim tenants or owners.
“I was shocked to hear from Bansal that the building does not encourage Muslims on its premises after paying the deposit for the flat. The broker has not returned my deposit so far,” Misbah told IANS.
“How could he not provide the rental agreement after collecting the part-deposit, wanted the rentals, my resume, after which there would be the mandatory police verification? He even refused to enter my name in the agreement, leaving me with no legal protection whatsoever in case of any future problems,” Misbah added.
Activist lawyer from New Delhi Shehzad Poonawala has shot off a complaint seeking intervention of the National Commission of Minorities and ministry of home affairs in the capital, besides Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, highlighting the issue of discrimination against Muslims on various grounds.
“Misbah was also told to sign a ‘NOC’ declaring that if she encountered any harassment from the society members or neighbours because of her religion, the builder, owner and broker would not be legally responsible,” Poonawala said in his representation.
The broker also asked her to provide her resume, and although she was not agreeable, she agreed to the conditions since the notice period in her previous accommodation in Malad suburb was about to end.
Without her deposit Misbah somehow managed to arrange a temporary paying guest accomodation in Bandra where she lives presently, but is determined to fight it out.
Her Ahmedabad-based journalist mother, Rafat N. Quadri, who has worked with BBC London and the British Home Office, said she was very concerned about her daughter living alone in Mumbai for the past five years.
“We were planning to either rent or buy a flat in Mumbai for her, but it may be difficult in view of the latest developments…We hope for justice from Maharashtra government,” Rafat told IANS.