Bengali-speaking migrants slum cut off from basic services

Slum dwellers of Jai Hind Camp in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area, home to Bengali-speaking migrants from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, have been without electricity and water for over three days, prompting allegations of discrimination and administrative negligence.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Tucked away behind upscale residential blocks, the camp is largely inhabited by domestic and sanitation workers, who have now been plunged into darkness amid stagnant rainwater, broken kutcha lanes, and rising humidity amidst the monsoon.

“We've had no power or water for days now. Electricity was disconnected without any notice,” said Shyam Singh, a longtime resident. He claimed that the two main meters in the camp, registered in the names of a temple and a mosque, were targeted despite their dues being cleared. “Officials came with CRPF jawans, cut our cables, and left without explanation. We've shown our bills, approached the electricity office, but no one has responded,” he told PTI.

However, official sources told PTI that the electricity supply was disconnected based on court orders.