By India Tomorrow News,
New Delhi, 28 Jan 2014: India’s renowned intellectuals and social activists on Tuesday appealed to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to take immediate measures for rehabilitation of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims.
Under the banner of Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA), a group formed in 1993 for promotion of communal harmony, they wrote to Shinde and Yadav urging them to take steps to create conditions enabling the riot victims to return to their villages.
FDCA held a meeting in New Delhi on 30 Dec 2013 to discuss the existential threat of communalism to Indian society and polity and what it can do to restore peace and harmony in the riot affected districts of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. They formed a 7-member team which visited the affected villages and relief camps in the first and second week of Jan 2014 and talked to both victims and government officials.
On the basis of the detailed report of the team, FDCA, which is headed by former IFS Prof. Muchkund Dubey, today sent an appeal to Union Home Minister and UP Chief Minister, demanding:
(1) A suitable job to a family member of deceased.
(2) Withdrawal of the condition that a victim will have to return Rs 5 lakh paid to him as compensation if he wants to return to his village.
(3) A compensation of Rs 3 lakh to every family to resettle at their home.
(4) Deployment of appropriate number of personnel to liaise with the Gram Pradhans of the affected villages for locating and inviting those displaced to return to their villages.
(5) Arrest of all those named in FIRs to make the environment conducive for return of the victims.
(6) Immediate special arrangements for education and examination of the displaced children.
Signatories to the appeal:
1. Professor Muchkund Dubey (President, FDCA)
2. Mr. Kuldip Nayar
3. Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar
4. Advocate N.D.Pancholi (Life Member FDCA)
5. Mohammad Salim Engineer (Acting General Secretary, FDCA)
6. Mr. Nusrat Ali (Member FDCA)
7. Professor Prem Singh (Delhi University)
8. Professor K.B.Saxena (Council for Social Development)
9. Professor Imrana Qadeer (Council for Social Development)
10. Mr. Shafi Madani (Social Activist)
11. Dr. Javed Jameel (Writer and Social Activist)
12. Father M.D.Thomas (Social Activist)
13. Mr. Muhammad Ahmed (Social Activist)
14. Ms. Rakhi Gupta (Social Activist)
15. Dr. Rakesh Rana (Bundelkhand University)
16. Mr. Alaauddin (Social Activist)
17. Dr. Ashwani Kumar (Delhi University)
