A Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament has appealed to the United Nations human rights body for assistance after water supplies to a Muslim neighborhood in Kolkata were cut off for two months.
A Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament has appealed to the United Nations human rights body for assistance after water supplies to a Muslim neighborhood in Kolkata were cut off for two months.
According to the British broadcaster BBC, approximately 5,000 Muslims live in Jyoti Nagar Colony in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, where local authorities have allegedly stopped supplying water. It is worth noting that newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Ritesh Tiwari had reportedly told his supporters after the election campaign that he would not work for Muslims who did not vote for him and would not provide them with government facilities.
However, he failed to secure victory, and water supplies to the area have reportedly been cut off since then. The neighbourhood had enjoyed an adequate water supply for years, but the BJP legislator has now allegedly imposed restrictions. Local residents say they have to travel approximately one kilometre to obtain drinking water, while relying on river water for other daily needs.
Trinamool Congress MP Samirul Islam has written to the United Nations, alleging that Muslims are being deprived of public services because they did not vote for the BJP. According to Islam, he approached the UN only after exhausting other options, including contacting the authorities and filing a public interest litigation petition in court.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Municipal Corporation administrator Samita Pandey has argued that the settlement is located on government land. She stated that when water supplies to an area are disrupted, the municipal corporation provides water through tankers. It is also worth noting that a demolition notice had reportedly been issued for the settlement, but the court has temporarily stayed the action.
