About 500 predominantly Muslim families in Kolkata’s Jyotinagar Colony have been without clean drinking water for 17 days, with residents alleging the cut-off is deliberate discrimination linked to their religious identity.
The colony, located near Kashipur Jetty in Ward 6 of Kolkata City Corporation, has also experienced electricity disruptions, though power has been partially restored to some homes. However, all five water taps serving the colony remain shut.
Residents say they have approached the Kolkata City Corporation and local administration repeatedly but received no relief. Most residents are daily-wage laborers, and their low-income status has compounded their sense of neglect, they said.
Many families have resorted to collecting water from the nearby Ganges river for cooking and bathing, raising concerns about waterborne diseases given the pollution levels.
The neighborhood, where families have lived for 50 to 70 years, lies in the Kashipur-Belgachia assembly constituency, recently won by BJP’s Ritesh Tiwari. Residents say Tiwari publicly stated that minorities did not vote for him and he would not work for them — a comment that has deepened their concerns.
Residents allege the water shut-off is part of an eviction strategy by the city corporation, though they have not been able to identify specific individuals responsible. They have directed their allegations broadly at the ruling BJP and what they describe as its hardline elements.
Local media outlets in Kolkata have been reluctant to report on the issue, residents said, and BJP leaders have declined to comment.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report