Zaffar Khan reports from Kolkata’s 23 Khidirpur district on prejudices against the neighborhood’s Muslim community. 23 Khidirpur residents perceive the city government exercises significant prejudice against them. In Kolkata, ‘23 Khidirpur’ is strongly defined as a Muslim community. This single number, residents say, acts as a powerful label, causing officials and people outside the district to draw fast conclusions about any individual from the area. According to residents, these conclusions are undoubtedly negative and extremely prejudice. Furthermore, these labels are harmful and limiting to young people in the area.
Zaffar reports that non-Muslims are moving out of the district in increasing numbers. This in turn has further fueled external definitions of the neighborhood. In this report, Zaffar works to dispel these false notions.
