On Oct 1, a few residents of Ahmedabad’s one of the well-known residential societies, Shivranjani society, reportedly engaged in a squabble with girls living in a paying guest (PG) accommodation over a dispute about the parking.

In a video that has since circulated on the internet, the girls and young women living in PG were seen being manhandled by the residents of the society amidst a heated argument.

Talking to Gujarat Samachar, a society representative said, “ Yesterday (Oct 1)’s issue was only over a parking area, however, we had to tell the girls to wear appropriate clothes and then come out to discuss the matter.”

The girls who were involved in the squabble refused to talk to the press. 

The backdrop

On talking with the society members, it seems that this hasn’t been a one off occurrence.  “A month ago, the society had decided to close down all the paying guest accommodations in the society, and all the PG-owners were notified to clear out the premises,” said a resident, under the condition of anonymity. 

“There are more than 400-500 PG residents now, 30-50 people living under the same roof, and this has become a major issue. We had already rolled out a notice to close all the PGs two months back, but the PG owners have not responded.”

Another society member claimed, “The complete identification documents of all the residents of these PGs have not been submitted to the society.” Another resident added, “PG-owners had turned the paying guests into tenants, without informing the society.”

Moral clashes

On being asked why the society decided against PG accommodations, a member claimed, “Out of the many PGs here, one is right across a temple here. This often leads to discomfort for the elderly. This is also why they have stopped coming to the temple.” 

An occupant living in another PG in the same residential society said, “We are well aware of what we wear when we stroll near the temple and also outside the PG premises.”

She added, “Society members often comment on our clothes and do character assassination, even attacking the reputation of our families.” 

On the other hand, the society members also showed concerns about the helping staff at the PGs, stating that they were all outsiders but somehow possessed local ID proofs.

The concerns were also shown about the helping staff’s age, as one of the society members said that they could be minors. They said that a month or two ago, one of the PG’s staff was caught drunk.

PG owner’s POV

A PG owner, under terms of anonymity said, “All the police verification and identification documents are submitted to the society as well as the police station.” He added, “Even the girls have all the documents with them.” 

The society had notice boards outside it that said that no private property owner in the society is allowed to convert the property into a guest house or office after Sept 30, 2023.

While, the PG owner further informed that no individual notices were given to them to close the PGs.

At the time of publishing, one of the PG owners from the society, along with some PG members, had gone to the Satellite police station to file a complaint.

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