Barred from earning livelihood, Muslim fishermen in Gujarat seek mass euthanasia
India Today
Muslim fishermen in Gujarat have sought mass euthanasia after being unable to earn a living.
Hundreds of Muslim fishermen have petitioned the Gujarat High Court for mass euthanasia, claiming that administrative hurdles have made it impossible for them to earn a living.
The 600-member community, which has lived in Gujarat's Porbandar district for the past century, filed the euthanasia petition last week.
The petitioners said that over the last century, around 600 people from 100 families have been involved in the fishing business, and the Fisheries Department had granted them a fishing licence.
However, the authorities of the concerned department do not allow them to anchor boats at Gosabar or Navi Bandar ports and have been harassing them since 2016, causing them to face a lot of hardships and want to end their lives, said the petition.
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The petitioners further said that they are not involved in any illegal activity and that they occasionally provide security input to the security forces.
In the petition, it is also argued that the state government is discriminating against Muslim fishermen and is not providing the latter with adequate facilities.
