A year since communal riots broke out in Muzaffarnagar-Shamli, politicking over the rehabilitation issue has left thousands of victims still stuck in relief camps.
The plight of nearly 20,000 people in a relief camp at Dabheri Khurd village in the Kairana Assembly constituency exposes the lack of options for the victims who cannot return home for fear of further violence and also lack of safe rehabilitation.
They were promised land, housing and relief during the Lok Sabha election campaign in May, particularly by Muslim candidates of both the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Nahid Hasan, the Samajwadi Party candidate for the Kairana Lok Sabha seat, had vowed to provide accommodation in an area spread over 10 acres. However, he was defeated and little has changed at the relief camp.
The occupants of relief camps at Dhaberi Khurd, most of whom are daily wage labourers, point out that their rehabilitation is at the mercy of the fortunes of politicians. With the by-election to the Kairana Assembly seat likely to be held soon, they say the SP candidate has once again started promising a full-fledged colony. “It is all a play of politics which guides the behaviour of these people,” says a relief camp resident, on condition of anonymity.
Alauddin, living in the Malakpur relief camp, says, “Though the Samajwadi Party leader has been promising houses, he isn’t providing us any documents which could give us a sense of assurance. I don’t have money to buy land from these trusts operating in Muslim areas. I am in a dilemma now. If I leave the camp for the illusory promise, then my family won’t have any shelter during the winter.”
Haji Dilshad, who runs several relief camps in the village, alleges that Mr. Hasan is “not serious” about building houses. “Instead, he has been making people vacate the camps only to prove to his party leadership that he got rid of the relief camps, which are a major cause of embarrassment for the ruling party,” Mr. Dilshad says. However, Mr. Hasan denied these allegations as politically motivated.
