Muslim family denied entry to newly-bought house

Shahana Bi had no idea about the difficulties she was going to face in getting possession of the house she had bought in Katghar area in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad town.

The house papers were in order and the registration deed too had been properly executed in her favour.

The problem lay in something else..

Shahana was a Muslim and the house she had bought in a predominantly Hindu locality.
When Shahana and her family reached their house on Wednesday night, they were not allowed by her neighbours, all Hindus, to enter it.

‘No Muslims allowed’

The residents of the locality said that they would not allow a Muslim family to live in their neighbourhood.

Vidya Sharan Sharma, a local corporator and Shahana’s immediate neighbour, even locked the house and allegedly asked the Muslim family to “forget” about living there.
“We will not allow a Muslim in our midst,” Sharma said.

“We had bought the house six months back. We have been trying to take possession of the house but we were refused entry merely because we are Muslims,” Shahana said.
Prabha Devi, the former owner of the house, said that she was under pressure from neighbours not to sell the house to Muslims.

“I tried to sell the house to Hindus but they did not offer the right price, so ultimately I sold it to a Muslim,” Prabha Devi said.

Police, which reached the spot on getting the information, sealed the house as tension flared up in the locality.

“We have registered a case and are investigating the matter,” said a police officer in Moradabad.