Refugees ousted from homes in Jaisalmer
- Ind Reports
- May 18, 2023
- 2 min read
May 18
Jaisalmer
An incident of demolition of homes belonging to Hindu refugees from Pakistan occurred in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer on Tuesday. The refugees, who were displaced from Pakistan, had been living in the Amar Sagar area on the outskirts of Jaisalmer.
The demolition was part of an encroachment-clearance drive that was undertaken by Jaisalmer’s Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) on May 16. Authorities of the Trust took assistance of the police and went ahead with the demolition just a day after an order was passed by the District Magistrate who is also the Chairperson of UIT.
The inhabitants of the 28 “illegal” structures that were demolished alleged that their temple and water-storage facility were also bulldozed by the UIT. They have said that no alternative arrangements were made for them before the bulldozers were pressed into action.
Videos and photographs from the site went viral on Twitter and other social media sites and stirred up an outrage from netizens. A man speaking in a video also claims that women were assaulted using lathis by the police for resisting the destruction of the temple.
The IAS officer involved in the case happens to be the ‘celebrity bureaucrat’ Tina Dabi who has been in limelight ever since she topped the coveted Civil Services Examination. In her defence, she claimed that the Village Head of Amar Sagar had complained of the encroachment on the “water catchmemt area”. She also said that persons connected with the local land mafia had been using the refugees to try and encroach upon the land in question.
Following the sit-in protests by the refugees, Dabi has reportedly assured that the UIT will arrange for rehabilitation in a week’s time.
Help arrives
A team of volunteers under the banner of the Twitter handle 'Pakistan Untold' have been assisting the now homeless refugees. They have reportedly provided the families with meals, clothes and ration. The team has also promised assistance to any Hindu refugee from Pakistan who are currently in Rajasthan, Punjab Gujarat or Delhi.
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