Ahmedabad’s public spaces face increasing restrictions
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In Ahmedabad, India, several groups and individuals have faced harassment and violence for engaging in public activities, revealing a trend of shrinking space for open expression.
In 1972, Ela Bhatt founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association after a meeting in Victoria Garden, a space historically used for political organizing. However, recent incidents demonstrate growing intolerance.
On August 27, members of the Bajrang Dal disrupted a reading group in AUDA Garden, attacking participants because some of the books were written by authors with views they opposed, including Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank. This followed a dispute at a school where the same group objected to the inclusion of those authors’ books in a reading program, ultimately leading the school to make the books optional and replace the curriculum consultant.
Beyond these incidents, historian Ramachandra Guha was pressured not to join Ahmedabad University in 2018 after protests from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. In 2020, a doctoral student and her advisor at IIM Ahmedabad faced harassment from a politician over research on Hindutva mobilization. Gujarat University saw attacks on outstation students during Ramzan for praying.
These actions reflect a pattern of political and religious organizations asserting control over public spaces and limiting acceptable activities, even within the historically significant Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram. The city’s development, like the Sabarmati Riverfront, has also led to displacement and restricted access for some residents. The Disturbed Areas Act, intended to prevent communal violence, has also contributed to religious segregation.
