By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net
Guwahati: About 100 people including 17 women belonging to Bondhup Relief camp at Chirang in Bongaigaon district are sitting on a fast unto death since July 13, 2009, right in front of the Assam State Assembly Bhavan, with the demand that the government issues monthly ration of 5 kg grains to them as other inmates of the camp get. These people were forcefully driven away from their homes way back in the year 1993 during the ethnic clash between the Bodos and the non-Bodos.
Mohammed Wahab, organizer of the hunger strike informed that on October 7, 1993, about 6500 persons belonging to 3000 families took shelter in 9 relief camps in Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts. It was only from the year 2000 that the government of Assam started providing them with ration of rice and salt for 10 days every month at a rate of 5 kg per person. In Bondhup relief camp this ration is available to only 59 families out of 259 families living in the camp. Md. Wahab informed that initially these families were housed at the temporary relief camp in Goroimari before they moved into the present camp. Inmates complained that basic facilities like health, education or drinking water were never made available properly in the camp.
Few women who participated in the hunger strike said, ‘It is considered an auspicious day if a member of the family gets some manual work in a day and at the end of the day brings some rice for the family. That is the only day we have dinner. If no work, all will sleep even the children with an empty stomach.
On being asked why only 59 families getting ration and what about the rest. Participants of the hunger strike lamented that their names were included in a survey for ration facilities, but few pages from the survey was lost and this missing pages were never recovered by the state officials. Hence their names are not there in the current list of ration holders.
Wahab said, ‘we are forced to choose to fast unto death as this is the last resort for us. In last 15 years, we were only given promises not rations. Our demands are ration to each family for 10 days and permanent rehabilitation of each family and compensation of Rs. 2 lakh per family’.
A Supreme Court interim order has asked every state to consider people living in relief camps as poorest of the poor and grant Anotdaya cards to such families and ration should be made available to them at a reduced price. Moreover, Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme also emphasizes on immediate relief to victims of communal riots and adequate financial assistance for their rehabilitation.
The 100 participants in the hunger strike have no way but to cry for this pittance of ration of 10 kgs forgetting their inalienable right to dignity. 17 participants have fallen sick and are in hospital, while the rest are continuing fasting for their demands.