PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2013 ID-56111
.
19 September 2013 .
A team from the Democratic Students· Federation comprising of V. Lenin Kumar, tshan Anand,.
Zeeshan, Kingshuk and Fayaaz visited the Zainatul Islam Madarsa at Loni. Ghazjabad on September18, 2013 along with Albeena Shakil (former JNUSU President). The Madarsa is providing refuge toover 2000 Muslim refugees both from Muzaffarnagar and Shamli Districts of UP and has beenrunning as a make-shift refugee camp since September 8. It was reported that a large number ofrefugees have also taken shelter with their relatives in the Loni area. The Madarsa staffs have so far.
managed to register 2012 refugees from various villages in their registers and are trying to completethe process. The camp is running completely at the mercy of donations from the local community withno financial or other assistance/support from the state administration. Officials of the stateadministration including the OM had visited the camp the previous day. But rather than takingresponsibility for the upkeep and wellbeing of the refugees, the state administration has so far treatedthe Muslim refugees as the responsibility of the Muslim community. It was communicated to theterrified refugees by the QM that their complaints shall only be reg.istered in person at-the local Thanaof their village. The sheer difficulty of this task in the present context .has further demoralized the.
-.
refugees. .
.
Our team recorded the following testimonies of refugees: .
® Raeesa Khatoon reported that three of her family members were killed in Lakh village. Herhusband was too disturbed to speak. He had lost his mother, uncle (chacha) and grandfather(dada). She reported that she had heard from others of her viliage subsequently that another 3people had been killed. They are a family of farm labourers. She had no idea why the attackhappened and was shocked by its suddenness. .
® Iqbal Jahan's husband was killed. She managed to escape with her 5-day old daughter (now15 days old) and 3 other children..
. . .
@ 70 years old Nanhi and her daughter-in-law Sabra from Lakh village reported that a 50-60strong crowd with swords, blunt instruments and petrol/kerosene attacked their part of tqevillage on the evening of September 7. This came as a complete surprise to the women whQ.
were still una.ware of what caused the attack. They escaped into the fields and managed toreacl1 Jofe Gaon_and stayed there for the next 7-8 days before coming to Loni. They reportedthat about 10,000 people had taken refuge in Jole Gaon. They gathered from eyewitnesses inJole Gaon that a person named Mehdeen had been killed and the bodies of two girls wererecovered from the village pond. The women again had no clue about the cause of attack. .
® A young student (name withheld as he is an aspirant for a government job) from the samevillage hovered around till early hours of morning before making his final escape. He wasdeeply disturbed by the extent of violence and witnessed one woman being molested anddragged inside a building. He did not stay back after that incident. He emphasized the need formore Muslims in the state Police as welf as Administration. .
@ Munni from Dhanora village escaped on foot with 8 members of her family on September 8around 4 pm during heavy rains after they could sense a preparation for an attack. Analtercation occurred in the village on September 7 evening and some local policemen visitedtheir \tillage. However. they were hostile to the Muslim complainants and reportedly told oneperson that he would be charged with terrorism and apprehended if he persisted with thecomplaint. The Muslims live in her village in tv.;o pockets. AH the residents of her pocketescaped on September 8 and took shelter in the neighbouring Muslim village of Bilochpura. .
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2013 ID-56111
.
19 September 2013 .
A team from the Democratic Students· Federation comprising of V. Lenin Kumar, tshan Anand,.
Zeeshan, Kingshuk and Fayaaz visited the Zainatul Islam Madarsa at Loni. Ghazjabad on September18, 2013 along with Albeena Shakil (former JNUSU President). The Madarsa is providing refuge toover 2000 Muslim refugees both from Muzaffarnagar and Shamli Districts of UP and has beenrunning as a make-shift refugee camp since September 8. It was reported that a large number ofrefugees have also taken shelter with their relatives in the Loni area. The Madarsa staffs have so far.
managed to register 2012 refugees from various villages in their registers and are trying to completethe process. The camp is running completely at the mercy of donations from the local community withno financial or other assistance/support from the state administration. Officials of the stateadministration including the OM had visited the camp the previous day. But rather than takingresponsibility for the upkeep and wellbeing of the refugees, the state administration has so far treatedthe Muslim refugees as the responsibility of the Muslim community. It was communicated to theterrified refugees by the QM that their complaints shall only be reg.istered in person at-the local Thanaof their village. The sheer difficulty of this task in the present context .has further demoralized the.
-.
refugees. .
.
Our team recorded the following testimonies of refugees: .
® Raeesa Khatoon reported that three of her family members were killed in Lakh village. Herhusband was too disturbed to speak. He had lost his mother, uncle (chacha) and grandfather(dada). She reported that she had heard from others of her viliage subsequently that another 3people had been killed. They are a family of farm labourers. She had no idea why the attackhappened and was shocked by its suddenness. .
® Iqbal Jahan's husband was killed. She managed to escape with her 5-day old daughter (now15 days old) and 3 other children..
. . .
@ 70 years old Nanhi and her daughter-in-law Sabra from Lakh village reported that a 50-60strong crowd with swords, blunt instruments and petrol/kerosene attacked their part of tqevillage on the evening of September 7. This came as a complete surprise to the women whQ.
were still una.ware of what caused the attack. They escaped into the fields and managed toreacl1 Jofe Gaon_and stayed there for the next 7-8 days before coming to Loni. They reportedthat about 10,000 people had taken refuge in Jole Gaon. They gathered from eyewitnesses inJole Gaon that a person named Mehdeen had been killed and the bodies of two girls wererecovered from the village pond. The women again had no clue about the cause of attack. .
® A young student (name withheld as he is an aspirant for a government job) from the samevillage hovered around till early hours of morning before making his final escape. He wasdeeply disturbed by the extent of violence and witnessed one woman being molested anddragged inside a building. He did not stay back after that incident. He emphasized the need formore Muslims in the state Police as welf as Administration. .
@ Munni from Dhanora village escaped on foot with 8 members of her family on September 8around 4 pm during heavy rains after they could sense a preparation for an attack. Analtercation occurred in the village on September 7 evening and some local policemen visitedtheir \tillage. However. they were hostile to the Muslim complainants and reportedly told oneperson that he would be charged with terrorism and apprehended if he persisted with thecomplaint. The Muslims live in her village in tv.;o pockets. AH the residents of her pocketescaped on September 8 and took shelter in the neighbouring Muslim village of Bilochpura. .
.