14 booked for siphoning off riot relief fund

Faridas son,Mayur Ahmed Sayeed,then approached an observer of All India Anti Corruption and Human Right Watch (AIACHRW),Junagadh-based Dr J B Panesaria,who later filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against 23 officials,including former Khanpur TDO,retired TDO Gunvantlal Bhavsar,former TDO Chandu Ninama,who is presently deputy DDO,Vadodara district panchayat,and Anil Modi,who was sarpanch of Pandarwada village between February 2002 and July 2003. Modi is also an accused in the Pandarwada massacre in which 50 persons were killed by a mob in 2002.

We were being asked to cough up Rs 10,000 for listing our loss in the riot compensation claim. We did not pay, said Mayurs younger brother,Wasim Sayeed.

The riot affected did get Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 initially. Having written to government officials but to no avail,I and some 15 other families approached Dr Panesaria, added Mayur,who works as a clerk at the Forest Department in Bakor. In one single instance,a tempo driver has reportedly made away with 23 compensation cheques worth close to Rs 1 crore.

Farida said nobody informed them when government officials came to collect information about the loss during the riots. Whoever from the village gave money to the sarpanch,their compensation money was doubled, said Mayur. His neighbour,Shaikh,had got compensation for four houses,he added.

Mayur,along with Dr Panesaria,has also filed a separate PIL in the Gujarat High Court,slated to be heard on July 19,in which he has named 33 other officials of the District Panchayat.

According to the complaint by deputy DDO Bhabhor,the accused swindled Rs 38.25 lakh by forging documents.