By TCN News,
New Delhi: National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO) on September 30 held a press conference at the Gandhi Peace Foundation to release the preliminary ‘fact finding report’ on the Muzaffarnagar riots.
Following the recent violence in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh in September 2013, NCHRO conducted a fact finding regarding the incident on 27th and 28th September, followed a public hearing of riots victims at Jola relief camp on 29 September. The panel was led by Adv. N.D. Pancholi, (PUCL, Delhi), and also consisted of Prof. Nandini Sundar (Delhi University), Adv. K.P. Mohamad Shareef (Vice-Chairperson, NCHRO), Adv. Vijendra Kumar Kasana (Delhi), Adv. Y.K. Shabana (CPDR, Mumbai), Adv. Sharfuddin (Kanpur), Swati Sinha (Student Activist, Delhi), Adv. Amith (Delhi), Mool Chand (Journalist, Delhi) and Dr. Rahul Singh (Delhi) heard the vows and testimonies of riot victims of Muzaffarnagar.
NCHRO Public Hearing Muzaffarnagar 29.9.13
The team visited three relief camps situated at Loi, Jogia Geda and Kandhla and enquired a number of victims. They also visited the Meerut Medical College Hospital and met victims under treatment. They also had an elaborate discussion with Dr. Subash Singh, Superintendent of the Hospital; Mr. Koshal Raj Sharma, District Magistrate of Muzaffar Nagar and Mrs. Kalpana Suxena, Senior Superintendent of Police (in-charge), Muzaffar Nagar.
A total number of 182 victims including injured boys, men and women deposed the atrocities meted out from the miscreants. Some of them were brought the copies of FIR and the written complaints. The Public Tribunal could identify the non-reporting of umpteen number of crimes. The victims also deposed how the violence started and the manner in which the culprits carried out the crimes. Further they testified the incidents of the arson, looting, manhandling and murder. The details of some of the missing persons also made mentioned by the witnesses.
Victim testimonies: The victims described how they started being attacked from the night of 7th September after the Jat mahapanchayat, and fled to the relief camp on the 7th and 8th, arriving at different times. Some of the refugees were brought on the 8th evening by the forces, but others arrived on their own, after a family member had been killed enroute. Women and children had to hide in the jungle all night, hungry and thirsty.
Nature of loss: Women described how their husbands had been brutally killed; and many of them reported that their entire house had been ransacked and looted. Many houses were burnt.
Prior planning: In one village on the 7th night there was a call from the temple to Jats to gather. Some people also reported that weapons had been stockpiled in different shops and in the temple – sickles, guns, lathis and other weapons.
Role of police: The victims said that despite repeatedly phoning the police, either they did not take the call or they said they did not have the time. They said that police personnel were mute spectators during violence. If the police had risen to the occasion, the major chunk of the untoward incidents could have been averted.
Relations with Jats: The Muslims said they did not expect this behaviour from their Jat neighbours as there was no history of enmity in the villages. Women were especially hurt by seeing their Jat woman neighbours climb on to the roofs of their houses and clap when they were being attacked. This is very similar to what happened in Gujarat 2002. But people also reported cases of Jats saving them, often at considerable risk to their own lives.
Social conditions: Almost all those who have been attacked belong to the lower castes among Muslims, and worked as labour in the villages, or as barbers and other occupations.
Compensation: The victims have not got adequate compensation for the injuries and loss sustained. While some have got cheques for loss of kin, others have not. The compensation has not been properly ascertained and assessed promptly.
Aftermath: None of them want to return to their villages as they are scared.
FIRs: The panel was very much anxious on the contents of many FIRs registered, since it seems to be very feeble in the eye of law. A number of local advocates rendered full cooperation and assistance to the panel.
The number of local advocates rendered full cooperation and assistance to the panel.
In nutshell:
1. Several crimes have not been identified
2. Most of the crimes have not been registered
3. Many of the FIRs registered are ambiguous
4. There was bias, lapses and inaction on the side of Police
5. The thousands of culprits are still absconding and the police is not making any earnest endeavour to nab the Jaat miscreants.
6. The compensation shall be paid to all the victims and it should be ascertained and assessed properly and the same should be promptly paid.
7. The steps to be taken by the govt machinery in war footing to locate the missing persons and issue white papers to remove the fear of the victims and public.
Fact Finding – Muzaffarnagar 27, 28 Sep 2013 NCHRO
Observations and Findings
1. This is the planned attack by the Jaat community on Muslims and they are using local bodies to spread violence.
2. The police was openly supporting the communal forces. The SSP (in-charge) admitted the failure of intelligence agencies to smell or stop the violence. She disclosed that immediately after the violence broke out, it would have been controlled if adequate police force was provided. But unfortunately, we didn’t have then.
3. All the reports of DM are only mechanical and figure oriented and sufficient efforts are not taken by the district administration to retrieve peace of mind and confidence among the victims. The Magisterial power was not used to stop communal violence.
4. While we were visiting hospital, we could see only one Jaat patient affected in riots among seven Muslim patients admitted with severe injuries.
5. We were told by the local people that Muzaffar Nagar was thickly populated by Muslims as more than 50%. There have been were posted 66 SPs and SSPs as the district police chief in Muzaffarnagar since independence. But we could see only one Muslim SP (Manjoor Ahmed) posted as SP, that was also in early 70s.
Recommendations
1. Deploy more army force in the riot hit villages
2. Provide immediate and adequate compensation to the affected families
3. Immediate registration of proper and clear FIRs of riot affected victims should be done.
4. Spreading of false and fake photos and video clippings through mobile phones to incite violence should be properly investigated and the culprits should be punished.
5. The rape victims should be given care, counselling and medical treatment in a serious manner.
6. The police officers, who acted in a prejudiced manner should be probed and punished.
7. The culprits involved in the Mahapanchayat should be punished without any prejudice and action should be taken on the political leaders, who were behind the violence.
8. Adequate number of doctors and women constables should be provided to the relief camps.
9. Enactment of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill is the need of the hour.
10. Seize all weapons and cancel the arms licence of all.