Flood relief passes by India's most neglected
Hand outs: Flood victims receive food distributed by the Indian army at a temple in the northern Indian state of Bihar.
Photo: AP
TWO weeks after their hamlet of 17 houses was marooned into an island village by violent flooding that swept through Bihar, the 200 people of Chak Ganoli are still waiting for help from the Government and aid agencies.
These villagers are members of the musahar — rat-catching — sub-caste, a social group at the bottom of the Indian social hierarchy. Outcast even by other Dalit, or untouchable, groups, they are so accustomed to being marginalised that there is barely any surprise at this latest example of neglect.
Human rights groups said last week that Dalits were the worst hit by the flooding, which has upturned the lives of 14 million people across Bihar and killed more than 2800 across south Asia.
"Relief has not reached them and, if it has reached, it is scanty," said Paul Divakar of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights.
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