Finding a house on rent turns uphill task for Kashmiri artists in Uttar Pradesh
Srinagar: A group of Kashmiri artists from Glance Kashmir faced humiliation after being denied accommodation in the BJP-ruled Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the artists were searching for a flat to rent in Kanpur city ahead of their upcoming art exhibition scheduled to begin on October 24. However, they said they were refused accommodation solely because of their identity as Kashmiri Muslims.
In a social media post, the group wrote, “These pictures are not just pictures; they are emotions. Each of them holds a story.” They said what began as a simple search for a small flat where they could cook their meals soon turned into a distressing experience of prejudice.
“For two days, I searched continuously but found nothing,” one member wrote. “I heard many unpleasant comments but ignored them with a smile or a polite thank you.” The post added that one landlord bluntly told them, “Musalmaan aur Ahir ko makaan kya, makaan ka naksha bhi nahi dikhayenge” (We won’t even show the house plan to Muslims or Ahirs).
On the third day, the group finally found a flat for INR 15,000 per month and paid INR 5,000 in advance to the landlady. However, later that evening, when they returned with groceries, she inquired about their identity. “The moment she learned we were Kashmiris, her tone changed,” the group wrote. “She told us to leave immediately.” Despite their pleas to stay the night as they had nowhere else to go, she refused.
The group said they left “tired, hungry, and heartbroken,” adding that they initially chose not to share the incident but later felt compelled to speak about it publicly.
Their experience reflects a broader pattern of housing discrimination faced by Kashmiris, particularly Muslims, across Indian cities. Multiple reports have documented landlords refusing to rent to Kashmiris or asking them to conceal their identity.
A 2020 report by The Diplomat highlighted that after the illegal abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A by the BJP government in August 2019, many Kashmiris living outside the Valley encountered growing suspicion and rejection. Similarly, an investigation by Media India Group found landlords labelling Kashmiris as “risky” or “dangerous.”
An Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) study also revealed that nearly one-third of Muslim home-seekers in Delhi-NCR were denied rentals outright. Comparable hostility has been reported elsewhere — in 2019, a house rented by Kashmiris in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district was attacked by local Hindus, forcing the tenants to vacate.
