New “anti-homeless” spikes in Mumbai have sparked outrage on social media. The iron spikes were installed outside a HDFC Bank in the Mumbai Fort area, presumably as a response to the city’s homelessness crisis. Users on Twitter have put the bank on blast for the rather inhumane solution (if you can call it that), pointing out that the spikes pose a threat to both homeless and non-homeless people alike, should one accidentally fall on them.
As International Business Times notes, the spikes are one of many controversial architectural tactics being used across the world to keep homeless people away. “The designs are in the form of iron spikes, fences, sloped benches or bolts installed on doorsteps or on pavements or outside shops,” notes IBT.
