DHULE UPDATE - MEDIA RELEASE
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Anhad team ( Shabnam Hashmi, Arun Kumar Tiwari) visited Dhule again on January 27 to take stock of the developments and to see if there was any progress vis-a vis the compensation and rehabilitation.
Despite our taking up the issue with the collector on our earlier visit to Dhule on January 13-14, 2013 no arrangement has been made to run a relief camp. The 35 odd families ,whose houses were totally destroyed by mob attack and one of the houses set on fire even by the police( the footage of which was released at our Mumbai press conference) , continue to live without any support. Administration has not bothered to provide any immediate shelter. The families are dependent on the well wishers and relatives. Children's education has discontinued as they have no school bags, books, notebooks, in one family a young student who is doing BCA has been left in the lurch as the family has no money left, even the fee kept in the almirah was burnt.
We were also shocked to get a partial copy of the official circular which clearly says that no compensation will be given to family of the dead or injured till the enquiry is over. ( copy of one page attached)
On one hand publicly CM under tremendous pressure from the civil society announced the compensation but the victims and their families will not get any of this for years to come. We were also shocked to hear that CM did not visit any of the areas or homes of the victims, he remained in the Circuit house.
Despite the footage released to media which clearly shows the deep contempt of the police against the Muslims and the fact that all six dead in police firing are Muslims and all 40 odd persons injured in police firing are Muslims, the police has filed its own version of the incident where it has made up stories of the incident contrary to the reality. the police in effort to hide its role of killing, attacking and targeting one community is refusing to file any FIRs on behalf of the victims. After a lot of pressure it has taken only complaints and written replies to the victimes saying that ' in this case enquiry is going on'
With CM refusing to transfer the Collector, SP, DYSP we do not see any hope of a fare enquiry.
It is very clear from the situation that Muslim victims and their families have been abandoned by the state to fend for themselves and the police has been given a free hand to turn the victims into the accused as we have seen earlier in Gujarat and many other states. We see a sinister design and connivance of police and the state to further marginalize the economically and socially backward minority community.
Reiterating our demand for the transfer the Collector, SP, DYSP , we appeal to the media not to abandon the case till justice is given to the mothers who have lost their sons and all other victims.
Shabnam Hashm
Arun Kumar Tiwari
January 28, 2013
