Muslims reject Modi govt relief for shrines

AHMEDABAD: After refusing for 12 years to compensate for religious structures damaged during the 2002 riots, the Gujarat government came up with a scheme under which Rs 50,000 would be paid ex gratia in each case. To this proposal of Rs 50,000 for each shrine, the religious organization, Islamic Relief Committee (IRC), which is also the petitioner in the case, has lodged a strong protest saying that it is "non-commensurate with the loss sustained". In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Monday, the IRC questioned the Gujarat government's sincerity as it had doggedly refused, for nine years despite Gujarat high court's insistence, to formulate a policy to compensate for damaged shrines. Further, the IRC has rejected the government's offer as "pittance" and asserted that the order passed by the Gujarat high court on February 8, 2012 saying that district judges would evaluate the damage on a case-by-case basis, is just. "After the high court order, it has come on record that extensive damage had been done to religious places running into lakhs of rupees. The offer to pay the pittance amount of Rs 50,000 'ex-gratia' after nearly 12 years is adding insult to injury," the IRC affidavit reads. Following the high court order, the trusts of damaged shrines had moved the concerned district judges and the amount of damages adjudicated had touched up to Rs 85 lakh. The IRC also submitted that since the state government did not get a stay on the HC order, the respective judges had almost completed the process of evaluating damages. The affidavit further says: "It is evident that formulation of the policy is not to provide solace and succour to victims due to failure on the part of the government, but a mere eyewash relief." Giving a detailed chart of damages evaluated by district courts in terms of money, the IRC said that the compensation given for damage to residence also ran up to Rs 5 lakh and reiterated that the state government's offer is a mockery. It submitted that the religious structures are community places and hence are large constructions, whereas residences are small constructions. The IRC also submitted that Gujarat government had ignored the policy formulated to compensate for damage to Christian religious places. The SC has kept further hearing of the case in March. After chief minister Narendra Modi was anointed BJP's candidate for prime minister, the state government proposed to the Supreme Court that it would compensate for the damaged religious structures. During a decade-long legal battle, the state has not even given details to courts on how many religious structures were damaged in riots.   TOI