Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam on Friday (October 9, 2026) wrote to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, seeking intervention over Muslim residents of a colony in Kolkata allegedly being deprived of drinking water following a prolonged disruption in supply for over 70 days.
Mr. Islam alleged that drinking water supply to Jyoti Nagar Colony was cut off after the BJP came to power in West Bengal. "Because the residents are Muslims and are not considered part of the BJP’s so-called vote bank,” he said.
The colony is located on the bank of the Ganges next to the centuries-old Cossipore Guns and Shells factory under ward number 6. Around 5,000 people, mostly from the Muslim community, reside in the area. However, on July 29, the water supply stopped has not yet resumed.
The Hindu had earlier reported that five public taps serving the area had run dry since July 29, following pipeline work carried out by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Residents are forced to use water from the Ganges for bathing and washing. But the water is turbid and unhygienic with many children developing skin infections. Many of them have been undergoing treatment.
The TMC MP described the situation as a matter of basic human rights, arguing that prolonged deprivation of adequate drinking water water could not be treated as a mere civic services issue.
"The residents have not asked for a privilege or a special benefit. They are asking for access to something indispensable for their survival,” he said in the letter.
He also warned that the absence of drinking water could lead to widespread disease and affect the health of thousands of people, particularly those from poor and underprivileged sections.
He urged the relevant UN human rights mechanisms to take note of the situation and seek information from the authorities concerned on the reasons for the alleged prolonged failure to provide an adequate and regular supply of drinking water to the colony’s residents.
