Affected families are forced to live in the open; the water connection is completely cut off
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Most of the 525 properties including religious places and residential buildings demolished in Gujarat’s Bet Dwarka town belong to members of the fisher community of Muslims, a fact-finding report has revealed.
“Most of the demolished houses belong to the fishermen from the Muslim community while 17 houses belonged to labourers from the Vagher community (Hindu OBCs). Some residents said that when dargahs were being demolished, those present cheered and raised celebratory slogans,” noted the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) report released in Ahmedabad on Monday.
The report noted that 52 houses bulldozed by the authorities during the demolition drive in the past weeks were built under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojna, a government scheme. When the officials were told about the government scheme and showed documents in that regard, they did not pay attention and tore up the documents, the report said.
On 18 January, a fact-finding team comprising Shamsad Pathan and Ikram Mirza of the APCR, Hujaifa Ujjaini of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and social worker Altaf Shaik visited the affected people.
Residents told the team that their houses were razed within two days of the notices served to them and many of them could not even take out necessary belongings. In some cases, the houses were demolished a day after the notice was served to them.
An affected woman said: “We don’t know why did the government demolish our house. The officials said that the house was built on the land of the government but we have been living there for over 30 years. “If we were living on a government land, then the government should have arranged an alternate place for us to stay. Now, we don’t have a house or any support. I’m forced to stay in the open after installing a tent. Local people are helping us to get food.”
An elderly resident said they used to pay tax and electricity bills as they have been living for 50 years on the land.
“We have been living here for the last 50 years. I’m living here since the place was not liveable. Suddenly, the government destroyed our shelter and we were told that we were living on the government land. If the government wanted its land back, it should have given us some support and rehabilitated us. The government has rendered us homeless. We used to pay taxes and pay electricity bills. Now, we are left with nothing. Our children have also become homeless,” he said.
According to the report, the education of 400 children has been affected due to the demolition of their houses.
Residents said they were facing water shortages even before the demolition of their homes. After the demolition drive, the water connection was completely cut off depriving them of even a few drops of potable water.
According to the report, the demolitions were carried out as the government plans to build a corridor and tourist place in the area. There is also a plan to expand the road leading up to a temple.
“After talking to the affected people, it is clear that the state government is playing a role of suppressing the fundamental rights of the citizens instead of welfare activities. The government is presenting itself as a protector of the culture of the majority community and promoting the sentiment of hatred and separatism against Muslims. This situation shows the religious nationalism character of the state instead of secularism. This is a direct attack on the syncretic culture,” noted the report.