By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: For Momiron Dewa, a 60 year old inmate at Narayanguri relief camp in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD), the festival of Eid seems to be more pain than joy. Even as the followers of Islam celebrate the festivity of joy and gaiety, the poor lady is being haunted by the memory of her husband who was brutally killed by gunmen months back.
“Nothing left for in this world anymore. The memory of celebrating the Eid is giving me pain and tears now. There is no joy and celebration for us anymore here. I even could not provide water to my husband at the dying moments,” a tearful Dewa said at her camp. With her only daughter is married off years back, no one is here to give her company.
File photo of relief camps in BTAD.
Her husband was one of the 45 victims who were killed by Bodo militants in Baksa district in the month of May. Along with her around 300 people have been living in the relief camps since the bloody incident took place.
If her story was so, Ramzan Ali’s life is no less painful as this ill-fated man has lost his four kids and his wife in the same incident.
“After losing your near and dear ones, does this festival mean anything?” a sorrow looking Ali asked. He said that at a time when their lives are not secured, festivals cannot bring happiness anymore.
These people have been struggling hard since the incident broke out in the BTAD. At one time the inmates were even sat at hunger strike seeking basic facilities in the camp. “Only after our 48 hours of hunger strike, we were regularly provided food supplies,” Ali said.
There is no proper electricity facility in the camps and rain water flooded the camps making it unhygienic for the inmates, especially the kids to live under such circumstances.
But the situation remained the all the same. Their demands were never met. Not even proper action was taken against the accused.
However, among the heaps of pain and agony, there was a moment to cheer about with a group of kind hearted people coming forward to make their Eid celebration a bit happier. Several individuals on Sunday, provided clothes and food stuff to the people.
File photo of relief camps in BTAD.
“We tried to do our bit. We also want them to celebrate the Eid in a happy mood. We wish their lives will be normalized as soon as possible. But the best part has to be played by the government,” said young community worker Abdul Kalam Azad.
The inmates will offer the Eid Namaz at a nearby Mosque on Tuesday. “This is what we have decided to do. All of the inmates will offer namaz and pray to Almighty for better days and peace,” said another inmate. For these people the holy month Ramadan was also tough to observe with lot of hardship.
The inmates are worried after they come to know that the only power supplying generator has not yet been repaired before Eid. “The district administration keeps promising but so far they have not even made the lighting facility available. We have to face problems during the night for this. During rainy session water gets through the camps making the condition worse. This is very unhygienic for the children,” said 38 year old Jamaluddin.
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BTAD camp inmates wary ahead of Ramadan