JOIN USDays after a Muslim man was denied a job in a diamond exports firm on religious grounds, a Muslim woman was asked to vacate her flat in Wadala here.
The National Commission for Minorities and Maharashtra State Minorities Commission is already looking into the issue. The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena government has also assured a detailed probe.
The girl, Misbah Quadri, was evicted from her rented flat at Sanghvi Heights here. The reason given to her was that the housing society does not accept Muslim tenants.
She is now staying in another accommodation at Bandra. A week ago, a Muslim MBA-graduate, Zeeshan Ali Khan, was denied a job at Hare Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd, which is based in the Bandra-Kurla Complex.
“I was told by the broker that the building does not entertain Muslim tenants,” Quadri said. She works with an advertising firm here.
When the matter reached the office of Revenue, Agriculture and Minority Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse, he ordered a probe.
“As far as the incident concerning the Muslim man, we have assured a probe, the police has taken action and an FIR was lodged. As far as the complaint of the woman is concerned, we will probe into the issue and action would follow,” Khadse told reporters here.
Lawyer-cum-activist Shehzad Poonawalla, who has raised the issue, said: “Quadri had after searching, located a 3-BHK apartment at Sanghvi Heights in Wadala.
However, a day before Quadri was to shift, the apartment’s broker warned that the housing society did not accept Muslim tenants. Even if something worked out, the broker told her, she would have to sign a no-objection certificate declaring that if she faced any harassment from her neighbours because of her religion, the builder, the owner and the broker would not be legally responsible.
“She was also asked to submit her resume. Though she disagreed with the terms, she moved in because the notice period at her previous flat expired and her flatmates supported her and she hoped for a compromise later. But within a week, the agent contacted her again and threatened to call the cops and throw her out of the flat. When she approached the representative of the builder, she was told that it was a ‘company policy’ not to have Muslim tenants. She was then served an ultimatum to vacate the house,” he said.
The girl had no option but to vacate the flat, however, she did not get a chance to contact the owner as the broker did not give proper contact details. “We were harassed..me and my two roommates left the flat,” she said.