Hyderabad: Housing discrimination against non-Hindus in recent years seems to have become an all-encompassing feature of Hyderabad's social landscape, extending to upscale areas like Ameerpet and Begumpet as well as Srinagar Colony.
Several city residents refuse to rent their homes to non-Hindus, making it difficult for the latter to find suitable housing in areas of their choice. In many cases, the owners do not say outright that they do not want to rent their house to non-Hindus, but instead come up with other reasons to deny them the house. The practice is widespread in some areas.
Sadaf Hussain (name changed), a Muslim, said she was repeatedly discriminated against when looking to rent a house, allegedly because of her faith. She claimed that many owners would not directly deny her the house, but would find reasons to do so once they knew her name.
"Their tone would change after I told them my name, and then they'd give me other reasons for not giving me the house, like me not being a vegetarian or being a single woman," said Sadaf.
She encountered the discrimination in central areas such as Ameerpet and Begumpet. When she was looking to buy a flat, she ran into the same problem when the house owner's neighbour made it clear that the owner did not want to sell the house to non-Hindus.
Another city resident stated that he enquired about three separate apartments in Tarnaka and was told that non-Hindus are not permitted to rent houses in the apartments. Some areas have made this practice a policy. In response to an inquiry about houses in Srinagar Colony, a broker stated that no one in the area rents out houses to non-Hindus.
Many Twitter users have also raised the issue. According to Khadeer Zain's tweet, house owners were denying him housing after he revealed his identity. Anil V., a Christian, claims to have dealt with this problem thrice. Another Twitter user stated that when his brother enquired about renting a house in Lakdikapul, he was told flatly that no non-Hindu tenants were accepted.
