Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat on Friday said the statement made by Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary A.K Gupta on the death of children in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli relief camps is adding salt to the wounds of the people there.
“For the principal secretary to make such outlandish statement is adding salt to the wounds of the people,” said Karat.
“It was an extremely insensitive and factually incorrect statement. Of course there are deaths due to cold,” she said.
“We know that these deaths are reported when people are malnourished, their health is poor and they cannot withstand the cold weather, without proper protection; which is exactly what happened in these camps,” she added.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the statement was irresponsible “It is a very irresponsible statement. Their behaviour is deplorable and insensitive and it came after their government had already confirmed the report of the deaths,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad.
“Where are the NGOs who keep targetting Modi and Gujarat? Why aren’t they targetting Uttar Pradesh now? The Congress sponsors most of them that is why they are quiet,” he said.
Congress leader Jagdambika Pal said may be Gupta was not aware of the fact that every year a lot of children die in UP due to the cold.
“It is very irresponsible for him to make such a statement especially when the government has accepted that kids have died due to cold. May be he is not aware of the fact that every year a lot of children die in UP due to cold,” he said.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said the state government has not provided the medical facilities that they were supposed to in these camps.
“The UP state government is insensitive otherwise over 40 children would not have died there,” he said.
The reactions came in context to the recent comment made by the UP Principal Secretary AK Gupta who had earlier said the children in the relief camps did not die due to cold.
“If people could die of cold then nobody would have survived in Siberia,” Gupta had remarked. He also stated that only displaced people were living in the camps.
A. K. Gupta had pointed out that four children had died due to pneumonia and some others died because of dysentery, while one died due to premature birth. Gupta said that the report was submitted to the government on Wednesday.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and district magistrates of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli on reports of children’s death due to cold in relief camps
Over 40 children are reported to have died because of the cold in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli relief camps.
According to reports, the reason for the deaths was lack of blankets for inmates of these camps resulting in death of infants and children.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Thursday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and district magistrates of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli on reports of children’s death due to cold in relief camps.
The commission also said that the contents of the press reports, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of infants and children. (ANI)