NEW
DELHI, May 12 (IslamOnline) - Fed up with their sub-human existence
and the negligent authorities attempting to close the refugee camps,
Gujarat riot victims have started migrating to other parts of the
country and even heading abroad.
A
report from Dhaka two days ago said that about 350 Gujarat victims
have reached Bangladesh. Many are going to Britain, East Africa and
the Gulf where their close relatives are settled.
Inside
India, non-Gujarati Muslims in Gujarat had already fled the state
with
the start of the pogroms. Now even Gujaratis are moving to other
states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar etc. Within Gujarat itself Muslims in exposed areas are
moving to densely populated Muslim localities.
Within
the relief camps and without, there is no end to their plight. As
authorities try to close camps and claim day and night that things are
normal, violence continues unabated.
The
daily toll for the last two weeks has been around a dozen or
more. Mobs still rule the state, while the paranoid Home Minister LK
Advani has started parroting that Muslims are planning revenge using
the underworld and the Pakistani military intelligence (ISI). This
will give the authorities another handle to beat Muslims with.
There
is strong apprehension in Muslim minds that the supercop KPS Gill has
been sent to Gujarat with precisely this mission of crushing Muslims.
Mobs
are still ruling Gujarat streets. Relief camps are being attacked.
Muslim concentration areas, which got away during the previous phases
of the pogroms, are now being attacked and this is sending more people
to the relief camps.
Yet
the Gujarat state chief minister Narendra Modi has stated recently
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| Girls in refugee camp |
that
all camps will be closed by May 31. His administration has started
closing camps despite resistance by the inmates.
Reports
from reliable sources said that four out of the seven camps
operational in Dahod district have been closed down. Three were in
Dahod town -- Ghanchi Panch, Majlis-e-Hussaini and Sabjefaros, while
others were at Sukhsar, Fatehpura, and Jalod talukas.
In
a major blow, the state government’s abrupt decision to close down
four camps in Dahod has affected over 2,000 victims. This has left the
victims bitter, and generated a feeling of unrest and helplessness
among the Muslims of the area.
"The
situation is just not conducive for these refugees to return home.
They fear they will get killed by their neighbours," said Bina
Shrinivasan, an activist and relief worker in Ahmedabad, who got the
message from a camp in Dahod. M. Haji, coordinator of the relief camps
in Dahod, was more forthcoming and charged the government with
creating a false sense of security amongst the people by closing down
these camps.
Exposing
the farcical behaviour of the government, Haji said, "By forcing
the closure of the camps, government wants to show that peace has
returned and people have returned home. But this is a big farce."
"These people have lost their homes and livelihood and were
dependent on the State to keep hunger at bay. Now, they will also have
to worry about arranging food," Haji complains bitterly.
The
story from the refugee camps in Sabarkantha district is no
different.
Muslims in Sabarkantha district, who became riot victims, also moved
to refugee camps. However, it is only after two months that
realisation dawned upon them that they would be allowed safe passage
to their homes only on the condition that they withdraw the reports
filed with the police against individuals who led the mobs during the
violence and instead file fresh complaints blaming the violence on
nondescript mobs.
Nearly
24,000 terror-stricken Muslims, who fled from 207 villages in
Sabarkantha district, are refusing to return to their original
dwellings because of life-threatening attacks and arson to their
property.
According
to Khadim Lalpuri, president of the coordination committee of all
Sabarkantha relief camps, the survey that was undertaken by the
coordination committee confirmed that 101 persons died in communal
violence in Sabarkantha against the official figure of 41. It also
lists 62 persons as missing, most of them belonging to Kidiyad village
of Malpur taluka.
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| Children in refugee camp |
However,
a district-level meeting of senior officials held recently worked out
an action plan to disband all relief camps within a month, but those
living in the camps are too terrified to return to what used to be
their 'homes.'
Available
reports indicate that there are still 160 camps functioning across the
state of Gujarat. 47 camps are spread in Ahmedabad itself. While four
of the camps at Dahod have been closed down, Ahmedabad is witnessing a
spurt in the number of camps. The number of refugees at two of the
largest refugee camps in Ahmedabad, the Shah Alam camp and Dariyakhan
Ghummat camp has considerably increased recently. Instead of a
decrease in their numbers a fresh camp has been added during the last
few days because of recent attacks in Khanpur, Mirzapur and Shahpur
areas of the city, which has left thousands of people homeless.
Even
in some of the districts, where Muslim villagers have attempted to
return, they have been met with attacks and threats, forcing them to
return to the camps.
The
existing inhuman conditions, in which refugees continue to live, cut a
really sorry figure. Packed like sardines, sitting up all night as
there isn’t enough space to lie down, lack of water to drink or for
ablutions, lack of food, clothes, medicines -- all make Gujarat a
living hell.
The
helpless victims of the communal carnage in Gujarat have been cornered
and increasingly find themselves at the edge. With each passing day
their plight continues to worsen. Thousands of men, women, children
and newborn babies are living under open skies with only bedsheets to
save them from the scorching heat.
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| Women in refugee camp pleading for help |
Many
are not getting even the meager rations supplied by the authorities.
Compensation is not being paid to many since they cannot bring
official certificates confirming the deaths of their dear ones or the
burning of their houses. Even if it comes, the 'compensation' is
usually so pathetic that it serves no purpose.
Recently
a trader who had lost everything died of heart attack when he was
given a cheque for rupees 5000 ($102)! Another person who was given a
compensation of rupees two thousand met same fate, according to media
reports.
The
refugees are not left in peace even inside the relief camps. Even here
they are being constantly attacked by mobs. The Dariyakhan Ghummat
camp was repeatedly attacked by mobs during the last week of April who
demanded its removal from the area.
Bharat
Barot, the legislative assembly member from the area and state
minister for civil supplies, even wrote to Gujarat home minister
asking for the shifting of the camp since the Hindus in the area felt
threatened. But when the minister’s plea didn’t work, mobs started
attacking the camp hoping to frighten them into moving away. The
minister is reported to have led the attacks on the refugee camp.
The
process of the migration of riot victims has already started from
Gujarat to different states of the country. The bordering state of
Rajasthan has become a prime destination for the haunted refugees.
Besides, the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP) has also become one of the
favoured destination. The AP government is offering land and
facilities to the uprooted to start a new life away from their
tormentors in Gujarat.
Refugees
are continuously pouring into Rajasthan for shelter. According to
Rajasthan government sources, victims began fleeing into the state
from the first week of March itself. Most of the groups, who fled
Gujarat, had already sent away their children and women.
Most
of the people, who had earlier migrated from Narayanpet in Mehbubnagar
district in Andhra Pradesh to Ahmedabad, have also fallen victims to
the riots. At least 100 families of Narayanpet have now returned home
from Ahmedabad with shocking tales of brutalities.
Some
15 people belonging to Narayanpet were among those killed in
Ahmedabad.
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| An injured man in a refugee camp |
Many
other Gujarati families, who have some relatives or acquaintances in
Hyderabad have also started arriving. Ghiyasuddin Babu Khan, president
of a voluntary organisation in Hyderabad, said that his organisation
has prepared a plan for rehabilitation of 65,000 of the nearly three
lakh displaced persons. Initially 400 houses will be built at the cost
of Rs. 20 million, he said.
The
government is forcing people to go back to their burnt houses. Even if
local Hindus are ready to allow them, the condition is that the
victims have to give them sworn statements on judicial paper that
their reports to the police were lies, that it was the Muslims who
provoked the Hindus by airing provocative slogans.
These
affidavits also include a written pledge from the victims that they
will not indulge in trades and professions preferred by Hindus. As if
this is not enough, the returning victims are also required to appear
before village councils in person to repeat their fake apology and
reiterate pledge of good conduct..! In most cases the locals forcibly
prevent the victims from returning and threaten them that if they did
greater horror will visit them.
The
Gujarat events have also had their effect on the Indian Muslim
community in general. The process of Muslim ghettoisation has been
accelerated. A fear psychosis is compelling Muslims to leave exposed
and Hindu-majority areas to live in Muslim localities.
