Forbidden Transactions Between Muslims and Hindus in Gujarat,https://therevealer.org/forbidden-transactions-between-muslims-and-hindus-in-gujarat-india/ https://therevealer.org/forbidden-transactions-between-muslims-and-hindus-in-gujarat-india/ Sabah Gurmat . April 5, 2023
A law that restricts Hindus from selling property to Muslims—and what that foretells about India’s future
Titled the “Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Act,” the law is more popularly known as the “Disturbed Areas Act.” The law’s original intent was to prevent the distressed sale of property by those who were vulnerable to eviction after an episode of communal or interreligious violence... But today, legislators use the law to promote segregation by creating a rigid divide between where Hindus and Muslims can purchase property, thereby ghettoizing the region’s Muslim minority.
For people like Dholkawala, the ability to purchase property rests in the hands and whims of district collectors. In 2017, a deputy collector rejected Dholkawala’s purchase and ordered a police inquiry into the matter since the property was in a predominantly Hindu area. The collector ultimately rejected the application on the grounds that it was likely to “affect the balance in the majority Hindu/minority Muslim strength” and could develop into a “law and order problem.”
Meanwhile, the Disturbed Areas Act has become even more radical. A 2020 amendment allowed collectors to reject applications for property sales if there is any “likelihood of polarization,” “disturbance in demographic equilibrium,” or even the “likelihood of improper clustering,” based on religious or other identities.
According to new research by scholar Sheba Tejani, the designated “disturbed areas” in Gujarat’s capital city of Ahmedabad grew by 51% between the period of 2013 to December 2019, now covering nearly 8.4% of the city’s total area.