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Struggle of Pakistani Hindu refugees

They started settling in Majnu Ka Tilla in 2011 when the first group of families from Pakistan crossed the border.

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Barely half a kilometre away from the Tibetan refugee camp reside Pakistani Hindu refugees in their shanties. They started settling in Majnu Ka Tilla in 2011 when the first group of families from Pakistan crossed the border. Since then, they have been coming to India in huge numbers till date.

Next to the gurudwara, one can find many small makeshift huts where these Hindu refugees from Pakistan have set up a small community that tries to make a living by pushing 'thelas' on the posh streets of the Capital. Facing abysmal living conditions in Pakistan they moved here filled with an optimism.

Radha, a 40-year-old widow, sitting with her child on a charpai with a small fan, came here from Pakistan four years ago in the hope of providing a better future for her two children. Unable to bear the mounting expenses of her family and with only a little knowledge in farming, her 15-year old son had to drop out of school to sell fruits on thelas, which gave them a maximum earning of about Rs 200-300 a day. "I came here from Sind Hyderabad in Pakistan in hopes of escaping the horrendous system to which I was bound to since birth," said Radha.

The head of this community, Dharamveer Bhagri and his family came to India on a visa to visit the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2011 but didn't return since.

His ancestral land of 44 acres was snatched by the zamindars in Pakistan. Women were not allowed to study and the minimal education provided was based on Islamic scriptures. "They would force us to convert to Islam. Also, we experienced a lot of discrimination, temples were burnt down, we had no option but to move here," said Dharmveer. He now sells vegetables for a living that he procures from the mandi.

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