Uttar Pradesh govt conducts medical camps for Muzaffarnagar riot victims

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a medical drive for Muzaffarnagar riot victims, with checkups of pregnant women and children given priority.

Medical examination of around 168 pregnant women and 4,000 children has been carried out till now, District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said.

A team of doctors under the supervision of Chief Medical Officer S K Tyagi visited 17 villages -- including Handwara, Vigyana, Jogiyakhera, Loi, Habibpura, Kalyanpur, Riwavli, Nagla, Sikri, Baghra, Harsoli, Sanjak, Tawli, Shikarpur, Husainpur, Husainpurkala and Shahpur, he said.

Medicines were given to 168 pregnant women and 886 children, he said.

The district authorities asked the riot victims to leave the camps to prevent untoward incident due to the cold wave sweeping the region.

Several persons died in the district between September 7 and December 20 last year as the winter chill was increasing. Over 10 children died in the camps, while more than 20 died in hospitals or nursing homes where they were taken for medical treatment.

The riots in Muzaffarnagar last year had claimed over 60 lives and left thousands homeless.