By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has demanded relief funds from all over India through its public appeal ‘Demand Relief, Rehabilitation, and Justice for Muzaffarnagar’s Riot Survivors.’ The party has also declared January 2, 2014 as National Protest Day.
“Friends the bitterly cold winter has begun. And the stories of Muzaffarnagar’s relief camps jolts our conscience. Thousands of people, who have watched their loved ones killed in cold blood, and who have been raped, and lost their homes and means of survival, languish in the relief camps of Muzaffarnagar. The Uttar Pradesh Government had pleaded earlier that they were helpless to prevent the communal violence. But why has the Government turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of those in the relief camps?” an appeal by the party reads.
The release states that 28 children in various camps at Shamli have died since the beginning of the winter season. There also have been gang rapes during the riots and in the relief camps and despite FIRs being filed no arrest has been made yet and the BJP MLAs who orchestrated the riots have been felicitated instead by BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Adding to the catastrophe, “Akhilesh government issued an order to forcibly evict the riot-hit from the relief camps, and pressurize them to accept a Rs 5 lakh payment in exchange for giving up their right to return to the villages by signing the affidavit which says, ‘I and my family left our village and our home due to the violent incidents there. We will not return to our village and home under any circumstances,” it added.
To make the matter worse, the release states that UP forest government has booked thousands of Muzaffarnagar riots victims for setting up relief camps by “encroaching” on forest land.
“The report submitted to the UP Government by the 10-member committee of ministers under the leadership of senior SP Minister Shivpal Yadav, appallingly, blames the madrasas running of the relief camp for not wanting to wind up the relief camps in spite of the situation having returned to normal” complains the party release. Even the SIT constituted to probe the matter has not yet spoken to the victims.
“On 2nd January 2014, the CPI (ML) has called for an all-India protest day demanding immediate arrest and prosecution of all rioters and rape-accused named in FIRs, and demanding that the State Government of UP ensure urgent relief and rehabilitation measures for the riot-displaced and riot-affected people,” concludes the party release.