Homeless in Maninagar

Salam Alaekum. I'm part of a student group called Sambhav at my University. "Sambhav" is Sanskrit for "possible." The group aims at setting up a platform where youth can interact and exchange ideas, and think of ways to use their talents and skills for the benefit of society. Among our many initiatives towards realizing this aim is our work in Maninagar, a suburb near Ahmedabad, the capital city of the state of Gujrat (famous for the 2002 anti-Muslim riots) in India. For those who are familiar with the area and its politics, Maninagar is Chief Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. We have been working in Maninagar for over a year now, and our work is primarily focused on striving for the upliftment of members of four Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNT) who have been living in slums behind the railway station for the past forty years. Denotified and Nomadic Tribes are defined as tribes whose people are "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences." It is a classic example of "collective guilt", how it has been endorsed by law, and how people are made to believe that it has indeed been created in public interest. In simple words, anyone born into such tribes is considered a criminal, not just by authorities, but by the average person on the street too. The people belonging to DNTs in Maninagar are mostly illiterate and live under absolutely deplorable conditions. They do not have access to essential civic amenities, electricity, a proper water supply, or even basic health and sanitation facilities. They make a living cleaning people's ears, or selling maps, plastic toys, home-made ropes etc. They hardly have enough money to afford two meals a day, and most of their children do not attend school. As if this were not enough, they have been facing constant harassment from government officials over their "land." The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) wants to demolish their homes in order to go ahead with its "development initiatives" without making any promises of resettlement. They also have to deal with local police officials who take advantage of their helplessness, and often arrest some of their youth without reason, so that they can clear their pending FIRs. Members of Sambhav have been visiting the slums where these people live every week and are trying to help and support these people in every way possible. Among many initiatives, we have been organizing weekly classes for the children in these slums. We have been teaching them basic reading and writing skills, counting, elementary arithmetic, painting and coloring, and song and dance. We have been trying to make our classes as "fun" as possible for the children without taking too much of their time (since some of the children work, and others have to do household chores), and with minimum usage of crayons and paper (as we have to buy them for the kids, and availability of anything in the classroom leads to a riot). We have also been interacting with community members in order to understand what they feel about what they are being made to go through, and motivate them to keep their hopes alive. Also supporting us in our struggle is Budhan Theater, a theater group that comprises of youth from a DNT in neighboring Charanagar. Budhan Theater has been performing a street-play called "Bulldozer", which highlights the atrocities committed by the authorities on the tribal people of Maninagar. It is a very powerful play, and a great example of how art can be used to fight for just causes. A few days back, without warning, AMC officials destroyed the homes of these tribal people in order to go ahead with their "developmental plans." A meeting with the AMC Commissioner was held in order to discuss resettlement issues, but his response was disheartening to say the least. Link: Some pictures of the place (Anthropologist Kerim Friedman's Flickr Page) In protest against this robbing of homes, gross violation of human rights, and lack of concern for human dignity shown by the AMC in Maninagar, Sambhav has started an online petition. I've posted this here because it is a matter of concern for us as Muslims and responsible human beings, and it is our responsibility to condemn such acts, and to support those who are speaking out against it. Please take the time to go through the petition and sign it if you're convinced by our argument. May Allah accept our efforts. Ameen. -Saif