BeyondHeadlines News Desk
Riots-hit people of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in Uttar Pradesh are still living in camps run by citizens and not by the State, reveals a latest report by Joint Citizens’ Initiative (JCI).
Rehabilitation efforts seem to be a distant dream for many of those were affected by recent riots. A few are leaving in desperation, but not always returning home. They are struggling to survive.
The report ‘30 Days and Counting’ by JCI noted that the possibilities of securing State accountability for its abdication become weaker with each passing day.
A few of the victims are in pathetic conditions. They are dying in camps due to illness, poor hygiene and the complete lack of medical care. FIRs were filed against accused, but many are still roaming free, the report reveals.
In its second report so far about the Muzaffarnagar riots, the JCI observed that “the aftermath of violence in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli is similar to what we have witnessed in Gujarat 2002 and in Assam in 2012.”
“Reparative justice is miles away. The death toll maybe counted, and minimally compensated for as ex-gratia, but the scores who have lost everything else, are left scattered to the winds.”
Victims lost their belongings, their family members still missing, they are homeless and without livelihoods and their health deteriorate. The possibilities of rebuilding lives of these victims are “remote and fragile”.
“And no one is held accountable for this slow destruction of lives. The State continues to be in denial,” the JCI report noted.
The JCI, which visited three villages and spoke with people in nine camps and local residents from both Muslim and Jat Communities, also released its ‘Charter of Demands’ (CoD). In its CoD, the JCI primarily brings the State’s attention to immediately initiate restitution and rehabilitation activities.
These are the eight demands asking govt. to : 1. Ensure immediate safety of persons and property; 2. Duty to operate Relief Camps; 3. Duties in relation to relief camps; 4. State Assessment Committee; 5. Restitution and rehabilitation; 6. Duty to establish conditions to enable return; 7. Compensation; 8. Additional compensation to be made for.
