Mangalore: Have you not read the chilling realities of refugee camps in riot-hit Muzaffarngar, where helpless chjildren and adults are dying of cold every day amidst the onset of the bitter cold in Uttar Pradesh? Of course you have read in this news portal.
A hate campaign — falsely claiming that Muslim boys were enticing Jat Hindu girls in “love jihad” — led to violent murderous attacks on Muslim settlements mainly of poor agricultural workers in Muzaffarngar and surrounding areas in September. Some 50,000 people fled in fear, and took refuge in Muslim majority villages mostly in the grounds of madrassas and mosques. The riot may have now stopped, but the deaths haven't. Victims lodged at the many relief camps are crying for help but in vain. Terrible living conditions and the onset of the bitter cold have claimed dozens of lives.
But, unlike most of the common people, this young Mangalorean, after going through the media reports about the helpless condition of displaced people housed in make-shift camps, took a firm decision to help them. Seif Sultan Sayed immediately launched a social media campaign under the sloganCaravan of Hope' to turn the attention of his relatives and friends towards these camps.
Bangalore based Guidance for Mankind Trust (GFM Trust) too joined this campaign making it a big initiative. The team was able to collect funds for 2,500 blankets, 30 temporary toilets, 200 kilo grams of infant food, 300 winter ear plugs, 1,000 litres of milk for children and pregnant women and hot food for around 500 people thanks to the timely support from different people.
Mr Sayed finally plunged to action and reached Muzaffarnagar. He also took a team of philanthropists and activists along with him.
After seeing the plight in Muzaffarnagar Mr Sayed writes for Coastaldigest.com:
“It was a shock for me to read news-reports about continued deaths in refugee camps of Muzaffarnagar due to cold and starvation. Hundreds of questions popped up in my mind when I read about the unfolding grave humanitarian crisis in the communal violence-hit region.
Is there no one who can help them? What are the local NGOs doing while officials are neglecting them? What is the local administration doing? Why is the national media silent about this issue? Why other people can't help them? At least, what can I do to help them?...
I started forwarding the link of the news about continued deaths in camps to all my social media friends. The support that I received from my friends of all religions was outstanding!
GFM Trust came forward with a plan to help and we started a campaign called Caravan of Hope to collect funds to buy blankets for the victims.
A team of friends finally decided to visit Muzaffarnagar. We left Mangalore on December 11 and travelled 32 hours to reach New Delhi by train and then another four hours by road to Muzaffarnagar. We met a local social worker who has been frequently visiting these camps. He gave us an Idea about conditions of the refugee camps. Around 18,000 people are still left in the lurch in such camps. As many as 19 camps are said to be closed down by the government soon.
The very next day we started our journey towards the camps. A local social worker took us to the Malakpur camp, the biggest refugee camp in the region.
The first sight of the camp was shocking and tears rolled down from our eyes. There were hundreds of plastic sheet tents and there was a sea of humanity that was completely helpless…”
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