(Ahmedabad Newsline
February 02, 2007)
STILL STAYING IN COLONIES, DISPLACED VICTIMS SAY THEY CAN’T RETURN TO THEIR VILLAGES BECAUSE SITUATION OUT THERE IS STILL ‘HOSTILE’
Are we not among 5 crore Gujaratis, ask riot victims
by Syed Khalique Ahmed
Ahmedabad, February 1: Mohammedshah Maqboolshah Diwan loved communal harmony to the hilt. To such an extent that he even took part in every Hindu festivity, raised money for construction of temples, for one of which he even worked as chief trustee and had the responsibility of paying the monthly Rs 1,200 as salary to the priest. But he never thought that he would be asked, one day, to change his religion to continue living in his own village.
The 68-year-old retired government school teacher, who was forced to leave his ancestral Khadana village in Petlad taluka of Anand district during the 2002 post-Godhra riots, is now being asked by his villagers to “embrace Hinduism” if he wants to return to his village. The villlagers, according to him, say he has to pay a “price” if wants to return to the village.
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An anguished Diwan gave this emotional narration before a panel at a public hearing held at Gujarat Vidyapith here on Thursday. The public hearing was organised by Aantarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti (Committee for Protection of Rights of Displaced Persons) to highlight its demand that those living in colonies be declared as “internally displaced people” and a compensation of Rs 4 lakh be paid to each family.
Like Diwan, several others gave their accounts of they had been forcibly displaced in the aftermath of the riots and were now facing tremendous difficulty in returning, especially in the face of “hostile” situations still prevailing in their native villages.
Diwan, who had taken shelter in a relief camp, was subsequently rehabilitated in a small house with his family in Detral village of Bharuch district, about 100 km away from his village. All this while, his native village temple’s fixed deposit of Rs 10,000 continues to be in his account at Petlad Nagarik Cooperative Bank.
Like Diwan, there were Mohiuddin Khokhar and 25 other Muslim families of Asa Dungiri village in Kwant taluka of Vadodara district. They had been driven out of their village to take shelter in Munsif Nagar colony in nearby Chhotaudepur town. Their shops, houses and land have been grabbed by local adivasis, they say.
“We made an attempt to return to our village but were threatened by the locals,’’ Khokhar told the panelists and alleged that the police were not taking any action. “In our village, we used to employ people. And now we work at others’ places...Are we not among five crore Gujaratis?’’ he asked.
There was also an emotional Niyazben Sheikh from Ogdaj village, now accommodated in Yash Complex in Juhapura in the city. She said she was asked to change her religion or withdraw the riot-related cases if she wanted to return to the village. “Is it a crime to be a Muslim?’’ shouted the women at the hearing.
On Thursady, 50 of 3,500 displaced persons, who had come to the hearing, narrated their stories. There are about 5,000 such people living in 66 colonies in seven districts across the State.
The accounts covered several aspects _ their failed attempts to return to their native place, the experience of women, the situation of livelihood, the absence of civic amenities in the colonies, the continued intimidation by the police, and their experience of exclusion and discrimination. And to top it all, the effect of all this on the young generation!
The panelists who heard the grievances included Planning Commission member Syeda Hamid, National Commission for Minorities member Dileep Padgaonkar, former acting chief justice of Gujarat High Court R A Mehta, NHRC member PGJ Namboodiri, and Gujarat Vidyapith Vice Chancellor Sudarshan Iyengar. Activists Gagan Sethi and Farah Naqvi, besides Shabnam Hashmi, who played an important role in organising the displaced persons were also present.
Later, in a statement the panelists said: “What we witnessed today must be just a glimpse of the condition of internal displacement in the Gujarat due to shameful 2002 violence. We, as a panel, collectively say that there can be no denying that these people have been internally displaced as a direct result of the communal riots of 2002. The position taken by the State government that all affected people were rehabilitated is clearly not borne out. And this public hearing is proof that the State government has not fulfilled its responsibility. For five years, the rights of these internally displaced people have been denied to them. We endorse the Charter of Demands, issued by the Aantarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti, from both the State and the Central governments for recognition, rehabilitation and reparations for all the harm done to them. As citizens of India they are entitled to no less.’’
However, the State governmnet has maintained that there are no displaced people and those staying in the colonies are doing that on their own.