A Landlord Refused to Refund Advance Money to Three North East Students in Delhi

New Delhi, November 1, 2007

A report reaching to the North East Support Center (NESC), a Landlord in Safdarjung Enclave refused to pay back the advance money given by a three North East students for renting rooms. Rooms were agreed to rent out to North East students but it was rented out to others when they went to occupy. In spite of the request, the landlord refused to give back the advance payment of rupees 2000 telling them to never show their face.

The incident happened when those students went to occupy the rooms on October 30 as per the ageement between them and landlord and happened to be rented out to others. When these students requested the landlord to return the money, it was refused inspite of repeated request. It is a shabby two rooms which the landlady agreed to rent it out for 5500 rupees and took advance rent of Rs 2000 on October 26.

This is not the first case reported about the harassment by landlord’s done to North East people in Delhi. Priya narrates that such kind of harassment is not new to them. Even if they want to protest, they are helpless as the police are not eager to help them and they are outnumbered for any action taken. There are around five such cases the NESC encountered where the landlords refused to return back the tenants money in Safdarjung Enclave which was left unreported.

Iban who resides in Muniraka and who works in call centre says, “The problem as to why the landlord’s take advantages of North East people is because most of us never bothered to have written documents when we rent a room or give out advance money. We need to be aware that we cannot just go and rent any room like back home but need to deal every process legally.” She added “Out here people are not naïve and do not have mentality like back home; they are always out to grab money from different means and we seem to be the easy target.”

Reports reaching to NE Support Centre & Helpline, the incidents of harassment meted out to North East People living in Delhi and NCR are increasing day by day. The mindset of the Delhilites toward North East People and Tribal communties of other states is the main factor of the discrimination. The discrimination takes places in multiple form of harassment such as suspension from jobs, sexual abuses, physical harassment, landlord harassment etc.

North East Support Centre & Helpline (www.nesupportcentre.blogspot.com) is a joint initiative of various human rights activists, social workers, students, journalists and lawyers seeking to prevent harassment and abuses meted out to North East People and tribal communities of other states.

North East Support Centre & Helpline

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