Pune woman denied NOC for selling flat to Muslims

RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE: Madhavi Kapoor's housing society denied giving her a NOC for sellign flat to a Muslim family.

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Pune: Madhavi Kapoor thought it would be easy to sell her apartment in an up-market area in Pune. But trouble began when others in the building came to know that she was selling it to a Bohra Muslim family. They objected and did not give her a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Madhavi however went ahead and registered the sale.

“They took a long time to give me a No Due Certificate. Since it is a condominium and not a society I didn't need a NOC,” Madhavi said. “We took a lot of legal advice and checked out with lawyers whether this was against the constitution of India."

That there are others willing to pay Rs 5 lakh more to keep a Muslim family out, shows the extent of intolerance towards other religions.

Preventing a Bohra Muslim family to live in a Hindu-dominated society is an uncommon attitude in a city like Pune.

Even real estate representatives are shocked that such discrimination could exist in their city.

"In Pune, most people will be surprised that such a thing has happened. It's a very secular place. I'm married to a Muslim and I have never faced discrimination," President, Estate Agents, Pune, Ravi Verma says.

Madhavi says her clients are still afraid and not ready to speak to the media. She says this hostility towards Muslims is not her first experience.

"Some gentlemen came to me and said, ‘Toh phir aapko chalega lawn par bakri katne ko (Would you be okay with goat-slaughter on your lawn)?’ So I said I’ll be okay with that because I found the question very irritating. That happened five-six years back," recalls Madhavi.