Gujarat’s invisible walls: Muslims pushed out, then left behind

Watch the other installments of this series here.

Over the years, Gujarat’s Muslims have been pushed into pockets like Juhapura, Shah Alam, Dariapur, and Sarkhej. What began as a fallout of riots and the Disturbed Areas Act has now hardened into a social order: Hindus and Muslims living apart.

But this separation comes at a heavy cost. While Hindu areas expand with new infrastructure, Muslim localities stagnate. Juhapura – one of India’s largest Muslim-majority neighbourhoods – still struggles for piped water, proper roads, and drainage. Court petitions and promises have changed little.

The contrast is visible: development stops where Muslim areas begin.

This deepening divide has left a large community feeling like second-class citizens in their own state, where constitutional rights exist, but access to them is slow, tiring, and uncertain.

Watch our special report on Gujarat’s segregated Muslim neighbourhoods, where neglect and discrimination turn daily life into a struggle.

Our latest Sena project tracks how elites take over public spaces in urban India, and the price that’s paid by you. Click here to contribute.