Neem Khedi village, Muzaffarnagar:
22-year-old Saddam Ali recently moved out of the Loi relief shelter in Muzaffarnagar to Neem Khedi village three kilometres away. He had fled the Fugana village, one of the worst-affected during the September riots, along with his pregnant wife and infant son.
His 55-year-old uncle was killed in the violence. Saddam says he will never return to the village, where accused walk free. "I have not retuned there but I went to Budhana village close by. I saw them there."
Saddam's is just one out of the 50 families from Fugana who have now set up an alternate base at Neem Khedi village, after they were asked to leave the Loi relief shelter by the Uttar Pradesh government, saying their villages are safe to return to. For the families, however, the threat perception still continues and going back is unthinkable.
The UP Police has filed 566 cases of murder, rioting and arson related to the riots, where over 6,000 people have been named as accused. But so far only 294 people have been arrested. "We have issued warrants against 522 others who we have some evidence against. They will also be arrested soon," says Additional Superintendent of Police, Special Investigation Team, Manoj Jha.
Significantly, the SIT has also found prima facie evidence against 22 men, again from Fugana, who have been accused of sexual assault by six women there. Orders have now been issued for their arrest.
"It was difficult to find complainants. Even after taking them to crime scene a lot of them changed their version," says SP Jha.
But at Fugana police station, where 106 cases have been filed, making an arrest is not so simple. So far no one has been arrested from Fugana, though close to 2,000 people have been named as accused in the riot cases. Cops here say most people are absconding or some of the high-profile accused like the village chief cannot be arrested, as it will heighten the tension in these sensitive areas and may lead to a back lash.
Tham Singh, the village chief of Fugana, has 15 cases against him, and eight cases registered against his two sons. "These are false allegations being made to get compensation. Some people don't even know how to sign, they are uneducated. They are being influenced," he says.
But for Saddam, his future lies outside Fugana now. "I have bought a plot of land with the compensation money here at Neem Khedi and will stay here. There is nothing left for us to go back to Fugana."