Thanks To Puja Committee And An NGO, Muslim Doctors Did Not Have To Vacate Their Flat
Kolkata, Aug 03: Four Muslim doctors, staying at a rented house in Kolkata’s Kudghat area who made it to the news for facing racial discrimination, have been assured by the locals that they would not have to shift elsewhere. The positive change took place, when the Durga Puja committee and a local NGO, came to their rescue.
The Muslim doctors, are currently doing their staff ship in various government hospitals across the city were in for a shock when one of the neighbours heckled and misbehaved with them, as a friend of them came visiting.
“We had already been turned down by many landlords, just because of our Muslim identity. So, we were very much relieved when our current landlord agreed to rent out his flat to us. We were glad that we finally managed to get accommodation. However, that was just the beginning of our ordeal, for one of the neighbours had a strong reservation to the house being rent out to us,” narrated Dr Mohammad Aftab Alam, among the four Muslim doctors who had to vacate the flat to eNewsroom. Dr Aftab is doing his staff ship with Beliaghata Infectious Diseases Hospital.
However, the neighbour never got a chance to make his reservations heard until their friend came to visit them at their residence. “This friend was supposed to stay overnight with us. But he was accosted by this neighbour and asked for his identity card. When we raised an alarm, saying that we were ready to show all the necessary documents but to our landlord and not him, then he loudly declared that how he had warned everyone to not rent out their flats to ‘bachelors and Muslims’,” recounted Dr Aftab.
Following which, he posted his ordeal on social media. “Someone alerted an NGO called Sangati Abijaan came to our rescue. The members of this NGO along with a number of local residents of this area came forward to help us,” said he.
Talking to eNewsroom, Dwaipayan Banerjee, a research scholar and Founder Member of the NGO said, “This is not the first time that we have come across such a situation. In Kolkata too, many deny renting out houses to Muslims. But, this time around, when we talked to the locals regarding this issue, they were more than willing to support these young boys.”
What was more encouraging was the fact the even the local Durga Puja Committee members lent their support to the boys. “It would have been a matter of shame if the boys had to vacate their flat,” said Bhaskar Majumdar, a school teacher and resident of Kudghat area. He further added, “The neighbour, who had raised an objection, had never anticipated such a reaction and has now maintained that he had no objection to the four staying in the flat. The locals have pledged their support to the boys and have maintained that no tenant would be targeted simply because of the religion.”
On being asked why such an incident took place, in the heart of the city, he explained, “When – Hindu-Muslim is all that we can hear throughout the day, what else one can expect to transpire. The politicians of today are banking on the politics of hate. So, definitely, such cases will be on the rise. He further added, “When we went over to clear the differences, I categorically told him, I would have been overjoyed, if I had four doctors as my neighbours. We did our best to clear the prejudice that existed, following which this particular neighbour has maintained that he has no objection to the boys staying put.”
Meanwhile the boys too overjoyed with not having to vacate the flat. “We will never have enough word to thank Dwaipayan da’s timely intervention, the local residents of Kudghat including the Puja committee, for having stood by us and making sure that we didn’t have to vacate our residence has further strengthened our hope in our democracy and spirit of Kolkata. I am sure if such interventions are made in time to iron out the differences or prejudice that exists in the society, the rise graph of hate in India will be curbed for sure.”
Courtesy: enewsroom.in
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Bridge collapse in Jammu: 3 bodies, 1 injured pulled out from rubble; probe ordered
Jammu (PTI): Rescue workers pulled out three bodies and an injured person from the debris of a partially collapsed old bridge during a 12-hour search operation on the outskirts of Jammu, officials said on Saturday.
One injured worker was rescued on Friday, shortly after a portion of the bridge collapsed in the Thuther area of Bantalab.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary rushed to the spot at midnight and ordered the suspension of two engineers. The government has also constituted a committee to probe the incident.
According to the officials, labourers were carrying out retaining wall and foundation-laying work on the bridge, which was damaged in flash floods last year, when a portion of it gave way, trapping four of them.
Police, Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and fire and emergency department immediately launched a rescue operation. The rescue teams first pulled out a labourer, who was identified as Tarsem Lal, the officials said.
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"The search and rescue operation concluded this morning. Three bodies have been recovered from the spot. Two others have been rescued in injured condition," a senior officer told PTI.
The bodies were recovered during the 12-hour search operation, which went on through the night under floodlights, the officials said.
Among the two injured was Divisional Fire Officer, Fire and Emergency Services Department, Mohammad Jaffar, who was hit by a boulder during the rescue operation. The injured have been hospitalised.
Deputy Chief Minister Choudhary was briefed about the incident after he reached the spot at midnight.
"I have ordered the suspension of the assistant executive engineer and the junior engineer. I have also issued directions to the engineer-in-chief for attachment of the executive engineer," he told reporters at the spot.
Choudhary ordered a probe into the incident and directed the authorities to complete it in five days.
Following his order, Assistant Executive Engineer Sahil Verma and Junior Engineer Sajad Mir were placed under suspension, pending inquiry into their conduct, the officials said.
The government has also constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical (Engineer-in-Chief), Public Works (R&B) Department, they said.
Superintendent Engineer, Public Works (R&B), Circle Jammu South, Arit Gupta, and Executive Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Satwari division, Rajan Mengi are members of the panel, they said.
