A 24-year-old woman from Barcelona was evicted from her male friend’s apartment in an upscale society in Gurgaon’s Ardee city as they were both unmarried.
Carlota Burrel Mas, who was evicted, is interning with a human rights organisation in Delhi and wanted to stay with her friend for a few days before she found a place.
Burrel reached Gurgaon on October 8 and went to stay with her friend Mohit Agarwal, a consultant with an MNC, at Palm Grove Heights in Ardee city, sector 52.
The security guards did not allow Agarwal to take Burrel with him inside the gate.
“The guards said society rules did not allow unmarried male and female to stay in the society. I asked them to show rules. They asked me to approach the security supervisor,” Agarwal told HT.
Agarwal talked to estate manager Sanjay Chaudhary who invoked the same rules, reportedly framed by the Palm Grove Heights flat owners’ association.
Agarwal said the association representatives did not respond. Following heated arguments and several calls, Burrel was allowed on a written undertaking that she would be allowed to stay only for two days.
“On October 10 evening, Burrel was forced to vacate the premises with her belongings,” said Agarwal.
She is now staying at a guest house in Delhi’s Rama Krishna Ashram. “This is my first visit to India. Eviction from my friend’s place was humiliating” Burrel told HT.
Chaudhary said there were no terms disallowing stay of unmarried males and females together in the society. However, in an e-mail communication to Agarwal’s landlord, who requested to let Burrel stay, Chaudhary mentioned that “as per rule of the society female guest (is) not permitted staying with unmarried boys. Please in future do not request this type (of) demand of your tenant.”
Palm Grove Heights flat owners’ association president Amrik Singh Nambran, a retired IPS officer, refused to talk.
Another tenant Dimple Sukhwani, an HR recruiter, vacated her flat in the society on Thursday. She said her fiancé was not allowed to meet her or stay with her in her flat. “There is no such thing written in rent deeds or with the association. We were also harassed on electricity and other issues,” Sukhwani alleged.
