Ahmedabad, February 22: Speaking during the hearing, Vijay Parmar of Jan Vikas, an NGO, said “there has not been much change in the life of 5,200 Muslim families who were displaced post the 2002 Godhra riots, since the last survey was conducted in 2005.”
“Out of 83 relief colonies across nine districts of the state, only 10 have got potable drinking water facility after installation of hand pumps,” Parmar claimed.
Ayub Khan Pathan, a resident of Ahmedabad, apprised the gathering that discrimination was being done by a local school in granting admission to the children from Muslim families. Khan claimed that his two and half year old daughter was denied admission by a local school in Paldi locality, just because he was a muslim.
Halima, a victim of 2002 riot and a widower, alleged during the hearing that her son was wrongly implicated by the police in a tiffin bomb case. She pleaded innocence before the jury and said “we are not terrorists.”
Rashida, a social worker, stated that municipal authorities had failed to provide potable drinking water in Muslim dominated localities like Behrampur and Bombay Hotel extension, despite the repeated appeals made to them.
“Even the newly elected councillor of the ward was not paying heed to our request, because of which Muslim families were falling prey to dreaded diseases,” she claimed.
Shaikh Abdul Rahim Ahmed, whose two grandchildren Ibzul Hanif Shaikh and Imrana Hanif Shaikh were allegedly murdered post Godhra, is yet to get compensation in cash even after being issued Shree Nidhi Bonds for it. Ahmed said “We have applied for bond liquidation to taluka panchayat Santrampur, but we are yet to get any response.”
-PTI