01, Sep 2014

Mohammad Ali
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.