Alipurduar, July 25: Around 2,000 people who fled Assam because of the ethnic riots in the last two days have taken shelter in two blocks in Alipurduar subdivision.
Today, the Alipurduar subdivisional officer visited one of their camps, in a mosque, and gave them tarpaulin sheets, firewood and food. He assured the people of medical facilities after coming to know that a child had died there.
Around 500 people who fled Assam’s Kokrajhar district have gathered at a mosque in Mominpara, about 30km from the border and 16km from Alipurduar town. Others have taken shelter in homes of relatives and acquaintances in Kumargram block that is close to the border.
Today, a four-month-old baby boy who was brought to the mosque and was suffering from high fever died. The boy’s name was Ataur Rahman.
This morning, members of Ataur’s family took him to a local health centre, which sent him to Alipurduar hospital where he died.
Md Imran Hossain, the owner of book shop from Kokrajhar district, said: “Here we are more than 500 people of whom more than half are women and children. Most of us are from Sherfanguri, Kalabari, Konthiguri and Godigaon villages. Most of us came here last evening. After our shops and homes were set on fire, we escaped and Assam administration took us to Sherfanguri police station on Monday night. We were kept at a place called Shimul Tapu, but after yesterday’s violence we walked for 12km and reached Barobisha, (on the Assam-Bengal border).”
Hossain said: “The miscreants had threatened us in our village that they would kill us if we did not leave. In the last two nights, the women and the children slept on the ground. As a result, one baby died this afternoon in Alipurduar hospital. We are ruined. We will never return to our place because they will kill us, although the SDO of Alipurduar today said we have to go back after normality returns in Assam.”
SDO Amal Kanti Roy said: “From many villages of Gosaigaon subdivision, 556 people have come to this mosque of Mominpara. Most of them are women and children. We have given them tarpaulin sheets, firewood and food. Police personnel have been posted here for their security.”
He said: “Most of them are in their relatives’ homes. We are keeping close watch on them. Once normality returns, they will be sent back.”
