The Uttar Pradesh government admitted that 34 children -- all below 12 years -- died at the relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts between September 7 and December 20. The toll was confirmed by a high powered panel, constituted by the Akhilesh Yadav government to look into the deaths of infants as reported by the media.
The panel submitted its report on December 25 and the findings would now be placed before the SC which is hearing petitions related to different aspects of the communal riots which claimed more than 60 lives and left over 50,000 homeless. Briefing reports on the panel’s findings, principal secretary (home) A K Gupta said 4,783 people were still living in five camps including one in Loi in Muzaffarnagar district and another four at Madarsa Taimul Shah, Malakpur, Barnavi and Edgah in Shamli district.
Briefing reports on the panel’s findings, principal secretary (home) A K Gupta said most of the children who lost their lives were the ones who had been taken outside the camps for treatment by their parents or were referred to government hospitals.
“The cause of the death of all these children was different. Four of them died of pneumonia and some due to dysentery. In one case, it was a premature birth,” Gupta said.
The officer also admitted that that all those living in the relief camps were displaced people. The response came to a question whether there were conspirators living in camps as claimed by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Initially, the state government had denied any deaths at any of the camps and had even submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court with similar claims. However, the apex court asked the state government to verify the facts after which the panel was formed on December 13.
The committee was headed by the Commissioner (Meerut), Manjit Singh. The DMs and chief medical officers of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli were nominated as its members.
Gupta, however, denied any of the victims had died due to medical negligence or government’s apathy.
Meanwhile, Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), an ally of Samajwadi Party, threatened to snap ties with the ruling party for neglecting relief work in Muzaffarnagar.
On December 23, Mulayam had said that most riot survivors had left relief camps and those living in the camps were conspirators of either Congress or BJP.
The panel submitted its report on December 25 and the findings would now be placed before the SC which is hearing petitions related to different aspects of the communal riots which claimed more than 60 lives and left over 50,000 homeless. Briefing reports on the panel’s findings, principal secretary (home) A K Gupta said 4,783 people were still living in five camps including one in Loi in Muzaffarnagar district and another four at Madarsa Taimul Shah, Malakpur, Barnavi and Edgah in Shamli district.
Briefing reports on the panel’s findings, principal secretary (home) A K Gupta said most of the children who lost their lives were the ones who had been taken outside the camps for treatment by their parents or were referred to government hospitals.
“The cause of the death of all these children was different. Four of them died of pneumonia and some due to dysentery. In one case, it was a premature birth,” Gupta said.
The officer also admitted that that all those living in the relief camps were displaced people. The response came to a question whether there were conspirators living in camps as claimed by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Initially, the state government had denied any deaths at any of the camps and had even submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court with similar claims. However, the apex court asked the state government to verify the facts after which the panel was formed on December 13.
The committee was headed by the Commissioner (Meerut), Manjit Singh. The DMs and chief medical officers of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli were nominated as its members.
Gupta, however, denied any of the victims had died due to medical negligence or government’s apathy.
Meanwhile, Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), an ally of Samajwadi Party, threatened to snap ties with the ruling party for neglecting relief work in Muzaffarnagar.
On December 23, Mulayam had said that most riot survivors had left relief camps and those living in the camps were conspirators of either Congress or BJP.
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