East Delhi Muslim residents claim gas agency denying cylinders

One local said the discrimination emerged recently, as they received cylinders till last month.

New Delhi: Muslims in East Delhi’s Brahmpuri have alleged that a local gas agency has deliberately denied selling cylinders to them solely based on their religious identity.

According to Delhi Update, residents are waiting hours just to receive a cylinder days after booking, with many claiming that the owner is refusing Muslim clients as the locality is dealing with an LPG shortage. One local said the discrimination emerged recently, as they received cylinders till last month, while another said the shop has been closed for two days alone.

“Roz ke chakkar lagre. Kal inke pitne tak bhi aa gayi thi toh inhone mere kaan mein bataya ki Musalmano ko yahan dene ko mana kar raha hai. Connection kai aur karalo (I’ve been making daily rounds. Yesterday, things even reached the point where they was about to be an assault, that’s when someone whispered in my ear that the shop is under orders not to provide service to Muslims here and told me to get a connection installed somewhere else instead),” an individual said.

When a woman accused the gas agency of performing religious bias, a person interrupted, saying, “Arey Hindu yah Musalmaan, cylinder toh sabko chahiye na, hindu se kya lena dena ya musalmaan se kya lena dena. Sabko chahiye (whether Hindu or Muslim, everyone needs a gas cylinder. What does it have to do with being a Hindu, or a Muslim? Everyone needs one)”

Another resident said their family has been struggling to receive a cylinder for the last 15 days. “These people have even taken our payment and have still not delivered our cylinder,” he said.

Several showed their order confirmation and their receipts, arguing that it was unacceptable. “We got no response from anyone about when the agency will open. How will we survive in this condition?” a resident questioned.

“We are coming here to wait in lines after leaving our jobs. Multiple elderly women are also here trying to get a cylinder,” a man said.

Residents stated that police complaints have proved ineffective and the agenc owner has continued to avoid appearing in person or acknowledging the ongoing crisis.