By TCN News,
Ghaziabad: Nearly three dozen families who fled the rioted affected areas of Western Uttar Pradesh and now living in Loni neighbourhood in the outskirts of New Delhi are surviving in poor condition without any shelter and little or no food to eat.
This was revealed when voluntary group India Wisdom Foundation (IWF) visited the area to meet the survivors of anti-Muslim violence that hit Muzaffernagar, Shamli and Baghpat districts in August-September of this year. People in large numbers fled these districts and took shelter in madrasas in Loni in Ghaziabad. About 5,000 people were living in Madarasa Zeenatul Islam and about a thousand were living in Madrasa Arabia Kashiful Uloom till September.
Refugees in Madrasa Arabia Kashiful Uloom.
Most of these people have now shifted in rented accommodation. Some of them have started working as daily wage labourers here. There are some who have no proper house to live. IWF identified 34 such families who are living in acute poverty. Though they get some support from the local population and the madrasas but are facing difficulty in arranging daily food and requirements like medicine etc. These families have no male member who can go to work or their earning male members are sick and suffering from some disease.
“My husband is in Kerala. He is a labourer. He is working and saving some money for us so he did not come. I was alone with my daughters when the riot started. We have left everything back home. They have looted all that we had. We are left with nothing. We somehow managed to escape with the help of police,” said Zahida of Budina Kalan village of Muzaffernagar. She got her daughter married in a mass marriage organised by the madrasa for the riot victims last month.
Zahida has been provided free accommodation by a local family here but she has to do her own cooking. It is difficult for her to manage daily food for a family of six.
IWF volunteers: Ehtasham Khan, Iqbal Ahmad, and Tabassum
On Sunday (October 13, 2013), IWF team consisted of Ehtesham Khan, Iqbal Ahmad, and Tabassum distributed one-month ration for 34 such families. The ration includes rice, flour, daal, spices, oil, salt, sugar, tea etc. They were also given some cash to purchase vegetables and other necessary items.
IWF volunteer Tabassum taking signatures from the victims.
Ehtasham Khan, secretary of IWF, said: “The idea is that they should at least celebrate their Eid properly. These people need long-term rehabilitation program. But the government is least bothered.”
“I personally gave the details of the condition of these people to Dr Rajeev Dhavan who is representing UP government in the PIL filed in the Supreme Court related to Muzaffernagar riots. The apex court had specially directed that if the victims in relief camps have any problem they can approach Dr Dhavan.”
Khan added: “Mr Dhavan forwarded the details to the UP standing counsel advocate Ravi P Melhotra. But nothing has happened. No officer has ever visited this place. The victims here have not received any help from the government so far.”
The Supreme Court has directed the state to provide free shelter, food and drinking water to the survivors till they are unable to go back to their homes. But hardly any state support is visible in Loni.
The biggest challenge is to send these people back to their villages. But this cannot happen without state support. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has recommended the Centre to deploy para-military forces in the affected villages so that the survivors may settle down in their homes. Yet, no action has been taken so far.
IWF team met three families from Hilwari in Baghpat district who went back to their village but were hounded out by fellow villagers a fortnight ago.
The survivors living in Loni have been pushed to the wall. The local people and the madrasa are now running short of their resources to continue supporting these people.
IWF was established in 2011 in New Delhi.
If you want to contribute:
Name – India Wisdom Foundation
Account No. – 000701263488
IFSC Code – ICIC0000007
Bank name and address – ICICI Bank, 9A Phelps Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi. 110001
Please note that we receive funds only from Indian nationals and through bank accounts located in India.
We cannot take funds from foreign or Indian nationals with foreign or NRE bank account.
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1. Name of the donor
2. Amount transferred
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4. Transaction ID (for electronic transfer) or cheque number
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Link:
http://indiawisdomfoundation.org/