The Uttar Pradesh Government, which has been in a state of denial over deaths in Muzaffarnagar's relief camps, particularly of children, was forced to take notice of it, after the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the State to enquire into the veracity of news reports pegging the death toll at 50.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, observed that the reports, if correct, are serious, and asked the state to submit a status report with regard to the deaths by January 21, the next date of hearing. It instructed the state, in the meantime, to provide necessary material and medical facilities to camp inmates in order to brave the winter months.
State counsel and senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan assured the Court that even if there was a fraction of truth in the reports, the state would attend to it.
He submitted that the state would supply all necessary material beginning Friday. But problems for the state compounded when several petitioners, agitating for the cause of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims, produced details of the number of deaths, particulars of their identity and place of camp. The Court directed the same to be handed to the state government while asking the latter to submit a status report on the alleged deaths by next date.
The ire of the Muslim riot victims lodged in the five camps in and around Muzaffarnagar was directed towards the state government for showing neglect towards loss of innocent lives, including children due to cold weather and fever. This, despite an earlier undertaking given by State to provide relief and rehabilitation to those lodged in camps.
Senior advocate Fakruddin informed the Court that it was not for the media agencies and petitioners to inform the state about the deaths, as all state agencies are required to monitor the conditions at the camp. He even took a dig at the Centre for its stoic silence on this issue. "Had it been some other state, they (Centre) would have shouted at the top of their voice," Fakruddin said.
But the UP government chose to distance itself from the political barbs thrown at it by the petitioners. "I understand there are a large number of people who have political and communal agenda," Dhavan said, while adding that, at present, the focus of the state was to provide right to shelter to each citizen.
Nearly 4000 persons are occupying the relief camps. The state informed that while there were reports of encroachment by persons in the camp sites, there were cases where despite grant of compensation of Rs five lakh, the affected families continued to occupy the camps.