“They Said the Owner Isn’t Okay With Muslims”: IIT Grad’s Bengaluru House Hunt Ends in Bias
Bengaluru, May 2025 — For 30-year-old Mohammed Sanjeed, finding a house in India’s startup capital should’ve been easy. He’s an IIT-Madras graduate, works a well-paying tech job, and was simply looking for a two-bedroom flat to settle into with his soon-to-be wife.
But instead of keys, he received silence — and sometimes, blunt rejection.
“Sorry, the owner isn’t okay with Muslims,” one broker told him after showing multiple flats.
That one line — simple, loaded, and devastating — sums up what many minorities across Indian cities continue to face, even in 2025.
“It Wasn’t Just One Place”
Sanjeed had posted a hopeful tweet on May 24, saying he was getting married and searching for a home in areas like Indiranagar and Koramangala. Within days, the optimism in his tone disappeared.
He updated the thread with a heartbreaking message:
“Saw around 4 places with brokers. At the end of the day broker says, ‘Sorry, owners not okay with Muslims, due to Pak issues.’ What is this BS, man?”
The post exploded online, with people from across the country sharing similar experiences, offering support, and calling out the deeply embedded discrimination in urban housing.
It’s Not Just One Man’s Problem
Sanjeed’s story isn’t unusual — and that’s the disturbing part. Another young engineer, a 22-year-old NIT graduate working at a top firm, also shared that he was denied a flat in Bengaluru last month — because of his name.
“I offered to pay three months’ advance, agreed to every condition. Then I heard: ‘It’s not you — it’s the community,’” the man said in a Reddit thread.
These aren’t isolated cases. They’re patterns — ones that have persisted quietly behind polite phone calls and silent disqualifications.
A Wave of Support — But No Systemic Change
While Sanjeed has since received dozens of housing offers and kind messages from strangers, many pointed out that private goodwill isn’t enough.
“You shouldn’t have to crowdsource decency,” one user posted. “This is institutional bias, and it needs to be addressed.”
Some pointed Sanjeed toward areas like Shivaji Nagar and Frazer Town — localities known for being more inclusive — but even that advice raised tough questions.
“Why should people be told to ‘stay where they’re accepted’? It’s a form of quiet segregation,” commented another user.
Housing discrimination faced by IIT graduate
Urban India’s Identity Crisis
India’s cities like to see themselves as modern, global, forward-thinking. But stories like these force a reckoning: how modern can a city be, if its homes are still closed to people based on faith?
Sanjeed, for his part, isn’t bitter. But he is disappointed.
“I’ve worked hard, studied hard, and contributed to this economy. All I want is a fair shot at living somewhere with dignity. Is that too much?”
Final Word
In a city filled with innovation hubs and skyscrapers, the doors of some homes remain locked — not by rent or rules, but by prejudice. And while tweets may go viral, the quiet pain of being told “you don’t belong” never really leaves.
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