Inhumane Conditions At Relief Camps In Assam

Muslims, who badly remained at the receiving end of the Bodo-Muslim conflict in Assam, are now forced to live in one of the most unbearable atmosphere. The camp in which they are staying right now is a school which has only two toilets. However with the number of displaced people increasing daily, people are forced to defecate in open. The smell at the camps is unbearable and there is hardly any facility for food and water. “The quantity of rice, pulse and salt we get once in four days isn’t enough to sustain us for a day,” said one of the persons at camp. The stronger men and women take turns to collect firewood from the neighbourhood and cook bland khichdi in community kitchens amid unhygienic conditions. Children, pregnant women and the elderly are given preference, but several scoops less than they normally eat. Bathing and washing clothes are luxuries. Health issues too have been dogging the inmates, most of whom have no bed nets to keep mosquitoes at bay.