India: Seeking safety in numbers, riot victims re-draw map of dists, build new colonies

Seeking safety in numbers, riot victims re-draw map of dists, build new colonies
Written by Pritha Chatterjee | Muzaffarnagar | August 25, 2014

some areas are being christened by new inhabitants, with most still not recognised by the administration

A year after the Muzaffarnagar-Shamli riots, with political visits dwindling after the Lok Sabha elections and no success in efforts to rehabilitate riot victims back to their home villages, there has been a slow and steady change in the maps of the two districts. Muslim riot victims have purchased land around villages with a significant Muslim population, finding security in their numbers.

These areas are being christened by their new inhabitants, with most still not recognised by the administration, and no water, electricity or basic sanitation measures yet — identified officially only by the neighbouring villages.

About five kilometres from what used to be the Idgah relief camp of Kandhla after the riots, three of the six women who filed FIRs alleging gangrape are among the 100-odd families who have bought plots of land, 100-200 gaj in size, from the Rs 5 lakh compensation they received from the state government. This includes 30 families from Fugana village, where the highest number of riot-related FIRs were filed, and others from Lakh, Lisad, Bawdi and Hasanpur. The land was purchased from two Pathan families, traditional land owners in the village.

[FULL TEXT AT: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/seeking-safety-in-numbers-riot-victims-re-draw-map-of-dists-build-new-colonies/ ]