Double jeopardy for riot victims: After violence, now flawed system of compensation

    By Saiyed Danish, TwoCircles.net,

    Muzaffarnagar: The hollowness of the claims of Uttar Pradesh government that the state machinery tried its best to save the Muzaffarnagar riot victims or they are receiving adequate compensation following their displacement from their native villages post violence can be easily measured by a single visit to Basikalan camp.


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    The Basikalan camp in Muzaffarnagar falls under the police station of Shahpur. The victims who have camped here belonged to the twin villages of Kutba and Kutbi which are 6 kilometres from where they are staying now. A total of 250 families and 800 people are currently living in the camp there. Apart from Muslims and Jats, the twin villages also have Jeevat, Prajapatis, Valmikis and Sonars.



    Riot victim Shaukeen Shareef with his four children.

    Their biggest pain is that present MLA of Budhana for which they all had campaigned with great enthusiasm in the 2012 assembly elections turned a blind eye to them when the riots broke at the night of September 8. Nawazish Khan is MLA from Budhana.

    “On the night of riots we kept on trying our MLA’s phone number but after not attending the calls initially he switched off his phone. We were foolish to think that he would take care of our community after winning the elections,” says village chief Mursaleem.

    “I used to live in kasbah Soligaon. The attackers caught me in the village. I was thrashed badly but I somehow managed to run from the village. The police did not file any FIR there as their station fell in Jat area. Finally, paramilitary took me to hospital where I was treated,” says Mohammad Yameen.

    “When we tried to escaped overnight from our villages amid heavy firing and violence. The attackers had blocked us from both sides. Mursaleem contacted paramilitary and sent other vehicles also to rescue as many Muslims as possible. Without him we would all have been dead,” says another victim Hasan.

    “Shahpur police created a very negative role in the riots. When we approached them to complain about heavy firing from the Jats’ side they laughed and said that it was the sound of fire crackers. It was the CO of Budhna who ensured our safe passage from Kutba to Basikalan,” Hasan adds.

    The victims recall that the Jats had become quite active from before the riots and were giving inflammatory speeches for many weeks before the night of violence.



    File photo of Kandhla based Adv. Asad Hayaat who has taken up victims’ cases.

    “There is Dr. Sanjeev Walian of BJP, Pradhan Devender of Kutbi village, Upender who worked as dealers whose involvement we clearly remember. Together they had formed an organization called Sandhya Shakti Sangh. They would conduct meetings twice a week and specially appeal all the youth to attend them,” says Mursaleem.

    “Out of 8 people killed in Kutba village, 4 are from my family only. I have lost everyone in this violence. What kind of compensation should I await?” asks a melancholic Imran from Kutba village.

    Due to active endeavours of Mursaleem, 90 people from this camp alone will be getting new homes soon. However, contrary to the state government claims most of the victims have not received compensation.

    So far, only 9 villages have received a somewhat rehabilitation package and too after Supreme Court intervened into the matter and admonished U.P. government.

    “The government has adopted the system of providing the compensation on the basis of the number of hearths used in the families. One cooking stove or hearth stands for a married couple which amounts to the compensation of Rs. 5 lakh as per announced by the U.P. government for one family,” informs Mursaleem.

    “This way, if a large joint family has three married couples then properly it should be getting three stoves but the irregular system of compensation also calculates it in terms of the number of main gates a house has. Even in this system, one large joint family, which live sin home whose entrance is through only ‘one main gate, inadequately gets the compensation meant for one small family only,” he explains.

    Yasir (28), is married. His wife is pregnant and he has already two children to care for. He has not yet received his pension. Shaukeen Shareef has four children. He also has his voter and ration card but has not got compensation yet.

    Another man Mohtashem says in his helpless voice that he lost everything in the riots as his house was burnt by the attackers.

    “Since my stay in this camp I have not received any help form the government. We are managing somehow with the help of our chief,” he says.

    Asad Hayaat, a Kandhla based advocate who is looking after the cases of compensation highlight gross laxity on the part of government in providing compensation to the riot victims.



    File photo of Mursaleem, village chief at Basikalan camp who saved many lives the night violence took place.

    “I think government’s compensation policy is unfair. They have proudly announced that they had provided Rs. 5 lacs to 1800 families but they also issued a diabolic order that if any victimised family which has already received the compensation of Rs. 5 lakh be found returning to its native village, the entire amount will be taken back from them. This is neither compensation nor rehabilitation,” he says.

    “We know cases where the government has calculated that the valuation of a person’s property is Rs. 25 lakh, but even that family is receiving a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh once they sign the affidavit that they will never return to their native villages again. That means that if that family wants to sell their property in the native village they will not be allowed to do so. In such a scenario, valuation properties left by the victims come down to a few thousands. I don’t think this can be anybody’s idea of justice,” he argues.

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