India Is Allegedly Building a Wall to Hide Poor People Ahead of Trump Visit

India is accused of trying to ‘hide poor people’ by building a brick wall alongside a slum inhabited by more than 2,000 people, which US president Donald Trump is due to be driven past next week.

Ahead of Donald Trump's visit to the city of Ahmedabad next week, the 400-metre barrier has been put up for "security reasons, beautification and cleanliness," government official Bijal Patel said.

Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along America’s border with Mexico to stop people from entering the US, is visiting India on February 24 and 25. His visit is aimed at smoothing ties strained by trade disputes and could also allow him to woo tens of thousands of Indian American voters ahead of the US presidential election. 

Authorities have spent about £9m on the visit, which is likely to last for around three hours. Eighteen roads from Ahmedabad Airport to the stadium have been widened or re-laid.

Residents protested, arguing that the money would have been better spent to upgrade their village.

“Since they are spending so much money on this wall, why not use that to improve our slum and provide better facilities for us," said Keshi Saraniya, a resident. “Why are they hiding us poor people?”

Authorities also served eviction notices to 45 families living in another slum area near the cricket stadium where Trump will be. The residents said they were asked to leave because of the upcoming event, but the city’s civic body denied it. 

Kishore Varna, a government official, said the land belongs to the civic body and evictions were done under the law. He did not say why the eviction notices were sent just days ahead of Trump’s visit. 

“We have been living here for the last 20 years and now we are suddenly being told to vacate because some important leader is visiting this city for a day,” said Sanjay Patani, another resident. “This is injustice.”

Several political leaders were quick to criticize the wall’s construction, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development work in his own state.

Modi was chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years before becoming the country’s prime minister in May 2014.