Indian Govt. announces compensation scheme for Gujarat riot victims

The Indian government has announced that each of the victims of the Gujarat riot of 2002 would be paid Rs. 7 lakh as compensation – the same amount all the 1984 anti–Sikh–riot–victims were paid.

According to news sources, the decision was taken following intervention by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the report submitted by the National Minorities Commission, which pointed out lapses in rehabilitation of the victims and the wide disparity in compensation packages from incident to incident.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided that based on the compensation given to anti–Sikh riot victims, Rs. 7 lakh ex–gratia would be paid to victims if communal riots take place anywhere in the country," Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriparkash Jaiswal said.

A Union Home Ministry team will visit Gujarat to implement the compensation scheme.

For many of the Gujarat riot victims who are still living in make–shift camps, the decision would finally start the much–awaited rehabilitation.

"This will help the process of reconciliation. The compensation package for the victims should be implemented with sensitivity and keeping aside political gains because this is a human rights issue," said Gagan Sethi, social worker.

However, Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi has lashed out at the Central Government, alleging that the Centre's decision to award compensation to the victims of 2002 riots in the state has "exposed" the "double standards" of the coalition UPA Government.

"If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has compassion for riot victims, then he should extend this compensation to victims of all riots in the country that took place after 1984 anti–Sikh riots," he said.

"The intentions behind announcement of compensation to only Gujarat riot victims seems mala fide," Modi said, adding, "It seems the Prime Minister is viewing death of people in other riots differnt from those killed in Gujarat riots."

Modi said after 1984, many riots have taken place in Gujarat and all over the country. "Why are those people excluded from such benefits?" he asked.

The BJP–led State Government of Narendra Modi had initially promised the victims of the riot as well as Godhra train fire a total of Rs. 2 lakh but this figure was reduced to Rs. 1 lakh.

Meanwhile, an all–party committee, consisting of eight Parliamentarians, has hauled up the Modi government for bad rehabilitation work for the riot–affected families of the post–Godhra communal violence.

The team visited Juhapura, Shah Alam and Naroda Patiya localites in Ahmedabad, where some of the worst affected families of minority community are living since the 2002 riots.

"[We] have come to inspect the progress of the rehabilitation of the victims of four–year–old Gujarat riots. We are here to see what the State Government has done hitherto to abate the pain of the sufferers. We will report the matter to the Union Government, to the Lok Sabha and also to the Speaker. We will also raise the issue in the Parliament," said Basudeb Acharya, Member of Parliament.

"What we have seen here is hurting. Here the question is not of Hindu or Muslim. The issue is people here are suffering beyond imagination. The State Government must have looked after the victims of Godhra. However, on the contrary almost nothing has been done. We will make a report and even raise the matter in Lok Sabha," said Rashid Alvi, Member of the Rajya Sabha.

The Leftist CPI(M) party, formidable allies of the UPA Government at the Centre, has assailed the BJP Government, saying that the latter had "failed" to re–settle the riot victims even four years after the "carnage."

"Over 5,000 families were displaced during the 2002 carnage. Several of them were killed and their houses burnt down. These families are still living in camps", senior CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah said during Zero Hour.

"It is a serious matter" that even as these families were not yet rehabilitated, the State Government has returned the amounts sanctioned by the Centre for the purpose," he alleged, provoking a protest from the BJP members.

The Gujarat riot of 2002 that claimed over 2000 lives, mostly that of Muslims, was a 'retaliation' for the burning of a a train compartment in Godhra which killed 58 Hindu Karsevaks and injured 43, BJP leaders have maintained.