A. Development and organisation of the camps
Immediately after the outbreak of violence on February 28, people fled to areas where their own community was in a majority, to safe public spaces, mostly dargahs, madrassas and some schools, and sought refuge there. These locations were converted into relief camps. New camps were set up as the violence continued and spread to other areas.

In some cases, the camps themselves are transient, and repeated uprooting and resettling adds to the feeling of insecurity. In one rural camp, the team learned that the entire Muslim population of two villages fled across the border to Rajasthan to escape the mobs. While three people had been killed in the violence itself, one small child was crushed to death accidentally during their escape. This group stayed in two different locations in Rajasthan for nearly 10 days before returning to their village and setting up a camp there.

As of April 25, there were more than a hundred camps all over Gujarat. Official figures mention 68 camps in Amdavad alone, of which four reportedly have inmates entirely from the Hindu community. The team visited nine camps spread across Amdavad, Vadodara, Panchmahals and Dahod districts, including two rural camps. Of these, seven camps housed only Muslim families, one had both Muslim and Hindu inmates and one had only Hindu inmates.

None of the camps visited by the team was set up at the initiative of the government. The first source of support was from volunteers from the neighbouring areas, and individuals among the victims themselves. Official recognition of the camps came from March 6 onwards. The process by which the state government recognised camps took several days in many cases. Only then was the supply of provisions and medical care initiated. Till that time, the neighbouring community would supply food, clothes, medical aid and other necessities.

The camps continue to be organised and managed by volunteers, most of whom are young people with no previous experience of managing such a large-scale activity. The relief camps have been a crucial, and perhaps the most important, support for survivors fleeing from violence.

In the context of the camps, the present role of the state is limited to the provision of rations, water and medical care. The government has also set up rudimentary sanitation facilities in some camps. In many camps, these have been augmented by international organisations such as UNICEF. The Indian Red Cross also provided some relief material and medical aid. Other than this, in general, the team did not find a noticeable presence of voluntary organisations in the management of the camps. The local volunteers were largely left to their own devices.

The camps have been extremely important for the survival of those affected by the violence. Many of these people have lost their homes, all their belongings and even several members of their families. Apart from providing shelter, the camps supply food and access to basic amenities for bathing and washing. The camps give inmates a sense of security because they allow survivors to be together and support each other. However, the government has provided minimal or no security. Its attitude seems quite clear: victims' sustenance, and even safety, is the responsibility of the Muslim community itself.

In general, living conditions in the camps are extremely poor. In fact, the inmates do not even have adequate shelter. Whenever possible, those who need special care – the sick, injured, and those women who have just delivered or are in the last stages of pregnancy – spend the day with relatives and acquaintances in the neighbouring areas, and return to the camps at night.

General living conditions in the camps
Shelter : Most camps are located either in open grounds, with usually minimal cover to protect from sun and exposure, or in community buildings (such as wedding halls, madrassas or masjids), and there is significant overcrowding. Though this basic problem was recognised by Dr Makwana, chief medical officer, Amdavad Municipal Corporation, the government has taken no action in this regard.

As the situation fails to improve, people continue to stay in the camps through the hot months of April and May. The facilities in camps are not equipped to deal with the scorching sun and heat. The cover in camps located in open spaces is often totally inadequate, exposing the inmates to the danger of dehydration and heat strokes. There are only a few durries to sleep on (usually not sufficient for the number of people), and no mattresses, in most camps. There is a need for sheets and bedding in most camps. In several camps, groups of small children were found on the bare ground in dusty, unhygienic conditions exposing them to the risk of gastrointestinal and skin infections.

The Kalol camp is housed in a compound of an abandoned primary health centre. Before the violence started, this compound was being used as an open toilet.

Even though the camps are recognised by the State, basic amenities have come from the local community. Thus, of the State-recognised camps the team visited, only in the Godhra camp were there comparatively adequate arrangements, with several large pandals, and even fans.

Water for drinking and bathing: In the five urban camps visited by the team, water was often provided from large tanks, which were refilled daily by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation. Chlorine tablets are supplied for disinfecting the water. The water is stored in plastic tanks, becoming quite hot during the day, and is very difficult to drink. Also, the quantity of water is not always adequate for bathing and cleaning. Bathrooms or bathing spaces are either inadequate or not available, and there is no provision for soap.

Toilets: In most camps visited by the team, toilet facilities were far from satisfactory. Even according to official figures for camps in Amdavad, as of April 25, 2002, there were only 573 toilets for 55,186 inmates – or just one toilet for 96 persons. Further, existing facilities were fewer than what was provided for on paper. For example the Jehangir Nagar camp was supposed to have 15 toilets, but on inspection the team found only six. Some toilets and bathrooms have been erected by UNICEF in camps in Amdavad. Again, in the Godhra camp, the toilet and bathing facilities were found to be comparatively better.

Rural camps often did not have any toilets at all; if they were available, they were not utilised, people preferring to use the open fields.

Overall, living conditions in camps were abysmal, without basic infrastructure, and with no privacy.

Food for camp inmates

In Amdavad, the government has issued cards to inmates, to receive the following daily rations per person: 400 grams of wheat flour, 100 gm rice, 50 gm dal, 50 gm sugar, 50 gm oil, and 50 gm milk powder. Similar rations are being supplied in other areas as well. The government has also sanctioned a daily allowance of Rs. 5 per family, for fuel, spices, cooking charges, etc. Rations are supplied weekly, in bulk, for the entire camp.

However, team members heard some complaints that the food rations being supplied were of poor quality. In the Shah e Alam camp, several inmates reported that the quality of rations given was very bad initially; the dal had worms, and the grain was rotten. The camp organisers left this inedible food outside the camp and managed meals on their own. At the Godhra camp, the team was told that organisers sold the wheat provided by the government, and then purchased better quality wheat at a higher cost.

In most camps, food is cooked in the open, in large cauldrons. Meals are usually cooked only twice a day, lunch and dinner. Tea is provided in the morning.

There is usually no provision for special food for children, pregnant or lactating women, or those who are sick. There is also no provision for food in between meals - something which is very necessary for children. In some camps in Amdavad, anganwadis have been functioning and providing some supplementary food to children under 6 years of age. No anganwadis are functioning in the rural camps.

We are grateful to the camp inmates, organisers and the volunteers working in the relief camps for all the information they shared with us.

We would like to thank friends Sandhya Srinivasan, Nandita Bhatla and Ranjan De for their help in the process of editing, layout, cover design and final production of the report.