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Four Doctors Were Told To Leave Kolkata Flat For Being Muslim

"We were humiliated..."
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

In another shocking display of prejudice against Muslims in India, four doctors from the minority community have come under pressure to vacate their rented accommodation in Kolkata because of their religion.

Aftab Alam, Mojtaba Hassan, Nasir Shaikh and Sawkat Shaikh, who are renting a flat in a south Kolkata housing society called Kudghat, have come under pressure from their neighbors to leave because they are Muslim. Sudipta Mitra, the landlord, who had no problem renting them the flat, toldThe Times of India that there was only so much pressure that he could withstand.

Turning the Muslim men out would set a 'bad example, he told TOI, adding, "But I can take only so much of pressure."

"We were living peacefully but one of the neighbours objected to us staying in the area," Alam told News 18.

Alam said the situation deteriorated when a friend came to stay with them. "He was accosted by one of the neighbours who asked him for his identity card. He also misbehaved and heckled him. We were humiliated in front of other people in the locality and asked to shift to another place. I told them that they don't have any rights to behave like this with us just because of our religion," he told News 18.

Alam told TOI, "Many landlords rejected us because of our religion. We got this flat after several weeks of house-hunting."

An NGO called Sanghati Abhijan is reportedly intervening on behalf of the four doctors. An NGO worker spoke to the residents of the locality and the matter was resolved, according to the News 18 report.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.