Gurugram: Discriminatory rules spark protest by single tenants of Esssel Towers

A group of women residents of Essel Towers, a housing society on MG Road in Gurugram have accused the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of discriminating against single tenants.

The women said that RWA has introduced discriminatory rules that prohibit single tenants from entering guests of the opposite sex, even if it is a family member.

The matter got worse, when on August 4, a group of single tenants got into a heated argument with other residents. After which one of the single tenants, a lawyer, Shivani Singh, wrote a post on Facebook and also shared a video, which clearly shows a resident saying, "You are supporting prostitution in the society."

The post was widely shared and sparked a debate on social media on the freedom of single tenants across the country.

However, the RWA later denied anything like that was said during the heated exchange between two sections of residents within the society compound on Friday night.

Singh, who is in her late 20s, said she and some fellow residents protested after seeing a women crying at the society gates when she was told by guards of the society that they could not meet their (male) friends.

"We saw some women who had been harassed and were crying since they were stopped and not allowed to meet their friends. We offered to help them. That is when we were told we are supporting prostitution," said Singh, who lives as a tenant at Pilot Court, a gated block within Essel Towers.

The society made this rule earlier this year and kicked up a controversy for moral policing.