Lives On Notice: Fear Of Eviction Deepens Social Anxieties

바카라�We don바카라�t know how long we바카라�ll have a roof over our heads. My heart sinks every day with the fear that our lives and memories will soon be turned into rubble,바카라� says Kulsum*, 56, who has lived in Delhi바카라�s Khyber Pass for almost 30 years, ever since she moved into the neighbourhood after marriage. It바카라�s the only place she has ever called home since then.

On July 13, Khyber Pass witnessed the demolition of at least 250 homes by the Land and Development Office, which comes under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. While Kulsum바카라�s house survived the first phase of the demolition drive, the threat of eviction looms large. She says, 바카라�Since the demolition, we바카라�ve forgotten what it바카라�s like to sleep in peace. It feels like we lose our house every day.바카라�

In Ahmedabad바카라�s Santosh Nagar, 60-year-old Abida Biwi Abdul Rehman Sheikh lives in a state of constant anxiety. Her sleep has been disrupted ever since the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation pasted an eviction notice in her colony. Abida moved here nearly 10 years ago, after being relocated by the state from the floodplains of the Sabarmati River for the construction of the Sabarmati Riverfront Project.

The notice warns that the rehabilitation flats, already in a state of severe disrepair, could collapse any moment, urging residents to vacate as soon as possible. 바카라�They gave us houses of such poor quality, and now when our flats are crumbling, they expect us to make our own arrangements. How are we supposed to do that when we can바카라�t even secure a decent livelihood?바카라� asks Abida. Sultana Banu, another resident of Santosh Nagar, says, 바카라�The fear of the building collapsing over our heads is smaller than the fear of losing the only shelter we have.바카라�

The residents of Santosh Nagar filed a case in the High Court of Gujarat, but it has brought little relief. 바카라�Every time there바카라�s a hearing, my heart sinks. What if we바카라�re ordered to vacate the flats? I don바카라�t even know if we should trust the courts. When you바카라�re both poor and a Muslim, it becomes hard to trust anyone,바카라� says Sultana.

According to data from the Housing and Land Rights Network, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation, over 17 million people across India live under the constant threat of eviction and displacement. These threats stem from various causes, including slum clearance drives, infrastructure projects, environmental conservation efforts, disaster relief measures, court orders and tourism development, among others. This means that nearly one in every 100 people in India faces the fear of being forcibly evicted or displaced by the government.

Reports say that in recent years, government action targeting people바카라�s homes바카라�particularly those from the most marginalised groups바카라�has only deepened the anxiety these communities are already experiencing. According to a recent report on evictions and displacement, 446,254 homes have been demolished by the state since 2017.

The constant threat of demolition often overrides any sense of logic. Shakeel Abdul, from the Basti Suraksha Manch, an organisation advocating for the housing rights of slum dwellers in Delhi, has been working with these people for over two decades. He explains, 바카라�Even the sight of a small police patrol or an officer near the basti triggers a sense of fear in the community. They immediately call us, worried about an imminent demolition. Much of this anxiety stems from the numerous eviction drives they have experienced in Delhi.바카라�

These fears often manifest in the daily lives of the people. Families stop cooking meals as eviction dates approach, avoid going to work because they never know when the bulldozers will come and even decisions like sending children to school become fraught with uncertainty. These are not merely choices but survival tactics in a reality where safe living seems out of reach.

Raj Mariwala, director of the Mumbai-based Mariwala Health Initiative, a funding agency that supports mental health non-profits in India, explains, 바카라�The physical impact of a demolition or living under constant threat has a clear connection to homelessness, stress, anxiety and increased exposure to violence. This, in turn, affects other basic rights, such as the right to livelihood, employment, education and food. In mental health terms, it also leads to adverse childhood experiences.바카라�

The anxiety and fear surrounding displacement do not easily fade. In Mathura바카라�s Nai Basti, people have been living amid the rubble of the homes they once cherished for years. 바카라�My mother moved to this colony after her marriage, and I too got married within the same neighbourhood,바카라� says 50-year-old Sakeena, who now finds her life reduced to ruins. 바카라�I raised my children here and spent my entire life constructing the house. And now, it바카라�s all gone.바카라�

Her two-storey house was demolished by the state government between August 9 and August 14 last year. Since then, people like Sakeena have built makeshift living arrangements at the demolition site, yet the fear of the police lingers. 바카라�I feel scared. Terrified. There바카라�s a constant anxiety that the police will return and demolish these temporary shelters and walls we바카라�ve put up. But what else can we do? There바카라�s no escaping this fear. It has become the norm in our lives.바카라�

Fahad Zuberi, a columnist and doctoral scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says, 바카라�We need to recognise that demolishing someone바카라�s house is a form of violence. Even legally, we don바카라�t acknowledge it as such바카라�we see it only as the destruction of structures. In doing so, the home is dehumanised, and by extension, so are its inhabitants.바카라�

One cannot ignore the structural factors behind these experiences. If we look closely at the psychosocial stresses caused by the demolitions and evictions, a number of symptoms will emerge as a knock-on effect.

Tahir, a 60-year-old construction worker from Nai Basti, not only lost his home in the demolition, but a deep sense of fear has also taken hold of his son. 바카라�My son is an e-rickshaw driver, but since the demolition, he rarely goes to work. Most days, he refuses to step outside, afraid the police will stop him and put him behind bars,바카라� he says. 바카라�There바카라�s no sense of safety left for us. If our identity as Muslims can turn our homes to dust, it can also push us into trials for crimes we never committed,바카라� he adds.

But who will ensure one바카라�s security when the courts themselves are ineffective? The sadness and stress intensify when a person바카라�s very identity comes into question. Bilal Khan, convener of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Aandolan, a people바카라�s movement in Maharashtra, says that when those being rendered homeless are Muslims, it becomes easier for others to withhold/withdraw sympathy by labelling them as 바카라�others바카라�. 바카라�When Muslims were displaced in Shivaji Nagar, Mumbai, not only officials, but even neighbouring communities, quickly labelled them as Bangladeshis or Rohingyas,바카라� he says.

바카라�When the question of resettlement is generally tied to eviction, it becomes invisible in the context of punitive demolitions. Those affected aren바카라�t even deemed worthy of rehabilitation or resettlement,바카라� says Zuberi.

The constant stress of facing persecution solely due to their religious beliefs has created what Sara Ather, an activist and writer, calls a 바카라�crisis of belonging바카라� for Muslims. This ongoing threat has had a profound impact on the mental health of the community.

In December 2022, the Bebaak Collective, an informal network of grassroot activists primarily advocating for Muslim women바카라�s rights, published a report on the mental health of Indian Muslims, based on research across six states in India. It examines the ways Muslims have been forced to alter how they live, what they wear and what they eat, among other changes. The report highlights that in many cases, there is no 바카라�post바카라� in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), as survivors of communal violence are often still living in areas of chronic to political conflict, where the trauma keeps recurring. The Bebaak study notes that the architecture of targeted violence against Muslims fosters an environment where they face victimisation through economic boycotts, vigilante violence, property destruction and displacement, unjust arrests and imprisonment.

In a reality where anxiety, stress and fear of demolition are as tangible as the struggle for basic survival, legal protection and security remain inadequate and limited. Today, Indian Muslims and other marginalised groups are experiencing what can be termed an 바카라�institutional betrayal바카라�, marked by the erosion of reason and expectation from the legal system. The expectation is that the law should operate based on universal morality, rather than a distorted interpretation of 바카라�Muslim guilt바카라� and 바카라�Savarna innocence바카라�.

On September 17, the Supreme Court (SC) criticised authorities for carrying out arbitrary or illegal demolitions across the country. Through an interim order effective until October 1, all demolitions have been halted by the SC, which stated, 바카라�Nothing will be done without the permission of the Court.바카라�

While a temporary halt on demolitions has been imposed by the SC, determining long-term relief in curbing such actions remains unanswered. Anand Lakhan, a Dalit housing rights activist from Madhya Pradesh and leader of the Madhya Pradesh Nav Nirman Manch, says, 바카라�The state knows how to manipulate orders and interpret them for its own benefit. For instance, the upcoming guidelines stipulate that at least 30 days바카라� notice must be given prior to a demolition. However, similar provisions have been mentioned earlier in many landmark judgements, such as in the Sudama Singh vs Government of Delhi. This raises the question: how will the situation change?바카라�

To address their anxieties, some individuals are adopting other methods to ensure their security. Khan explains, 바카라�These people often end up spending considerable amounts of money on middlemen to obtain essential documents like voter IDs, ration cards, Kisan cards or E-Shram cards. They believe that having at least some of these documents will help prove their tenancy. Spending money on land mafias, other intermediaries or even lawyers has become a common strategy to seek security.바카라�

Shakeel Ahmad, who has led the Basti Suraksha Manch바카라�a civil society group working for housing rights in Delhi for nearly two decades바카라� echoes this sentiment. 바카라�For the residents of bastis, tenure security and access to legal land titles depend on being included in multiple government surveys that promise such protections. These assurances often surface during elections.바카라�

However, while the documents produced through these surveys promise clarity and certainty for the urban poor and marginalised, they are part of a convoluted process that remains opaque to both바카라�those being documented and those conducting the documentation. The people do not clearly know why they are being surveyed or whether it will enable them to get any sense of tenureship. A lingering question persists in their hearts: 바카라�Will we be evicted? And, when?바카라�

(*name changed) (Views expressed are personal)

Anuj Behal is an independent journalist and urban researcher focusing on urban justice, gender, and migration in India

(This appeared in the print as '바카라�We Lose Our House Every Day바카라�')