KOLKATA (Dunya News) - A reported water supply shutdown affecting around 5,000 underprivileged Muslims in Jyotinagar Colony, Kolkata, has drawn international attention, with an Indian opposition lawmaker appealing to the United Nations for intervention, according to foreign media reports.
The reports allege that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has targeted the Muslim community by cutting off its water supply in an act of alleged political retaliation following elections.
Local residents claim municipal authorities discontinued the supply at night, citing repair work, while a neighbouring Hindu settlement continues to receive water.
According to the reports, residents have been forced to travel approximately one kilometre to collect potentially contaminated water to meet their daily needs.
Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Samirul Islam has reportedly approached the United Nations after failing to secure relief from local authorities, the state government and the High Court.
Islam described the situation as deeply concerning, arguing that access to drinking water is a fundamental human right and should not be treated merely as an administrative issue.
The reports also cite remarks allegedly made by newly elected BJP legislator Ritesh Tiwari, who reportedly warned that people who did not vote for him would not receive assistance and would face continued scrutiny over the next five years.
Senior Kolkata journalist Subhajit Bagchi said anti-Muslim political rhetoric had intensified since the BJP came to power in the state, adding that fear of administrative difficulties and retaliation had discouraged some Muslims from speaking out for their rights.
The report argues that denying essential services on political or religious grounds contradicts the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It also recalls reported disruptions to municipal services in Muslim-majority areas of Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi following incidents of political and communal tension in 2022.