By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Muzaffarnagar/New Delhi: Civil rights activists are outraged over Uttar Pradesh government’s coercive actions where it forcing the victims of riots in Muzaffarnagar-Shamli to sign affidavits in lieu of Rs 5 lakh compensation.
Indian Express reported on Tuesday that so far over 900 families have given up their rights to return back to their villages and homes after taking the compensation and signing the affidavits.
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Speaking to TCN, Supreme Court Advocate Naushad Ahmad Khan, who hails from Muzaffarnagar and is also petitioner in Apex Court in a riot case, said that the basis of affidavit is illegal and unconstitutional. He accused the SP government of forcing the victims to disown their ancestral homes and property.
As practically there have been no arrests of the persons accused of riots, rapes, arson, etc victims anyways were too scared to return back to their villages, as mostly the accused are from same villages, often including the village head or Pradhan.
But the government move is unprecedented. Even in Assam’s BTAD area which saw one of the worse riot and arson in recent times last year – labeled by many as “ethnic cleansing” - those victims who had patta land were allowed to return back immediately.
Advocate Khan, who was a member of the ANHAD fact finding team also, pointed out that quantum of compensation also unreasonable for there are an estimate 30 % of houses would be worth over Rs 20 lakhs, while there also estimate 20 % houses which would cost only Rs 50,000.
Another controversial provision of the affidavit is that the compensation needs to be approved by the village Pradhan or equivalent competent authorities. In several villages, Pradhans themselves are accused of leading riots, for example Pradhan of Lisarh has 30 FIRs against him while that of Fugana has a rape case registered against him, besides other cases of riots and arson.
Advocate Khan has alleged that the village heads are thus being partial and approving the compensations of those victims, who have not named them as accused.
Spokesperson of Rihai Manch Rajeev Yadav said that on one hand government is forcibly vacating the relief camps, and on the other hand they are now closing all options for the victims to even return back to their own villages and homes.
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Muzaffarnagar riot - Burnt house at Lisad village of Shamli dist
He pointed out that victims have been coerced into singing the affidavits that in a way will close all options for them to return back.
Interestingly the affidavit has been ratified by an order of the UP government on October 28 and revised on October 29, that clearly says that the compensation money can only be used "any other land, arranging residence elsewhere."
Meanwhile, the victims in the Jola camp, and several others in other camps, have refused to take the compensation and on Monday held a dharna in Buhana demanding arrests of those accused of rioting, arsons and rapes.
Another grave problem rising out of this forced migration is that electorates would not be able to cast their votes in their respective areas. In fact according to reports, several people are planning to apply for fresh voter I card in their new addresses.
What is happening in Muzaffarnagar and surrounding districts has led to further segregation and will clearly have a bearing on voting pattern.
Civil rights groups have alleged that the riot was orchestrated for voting gains in collusion of Samajwadi Party and BJP, as polirsation will directly help both of them while Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal, for whom traditionally both Jats and Muslims votes, is a clear loser.