My statement on riot victims was not insensitive: Narad Rai clarifies

Lucknow: Clarifying his statement on people dying in relief camps, Uttar Pradesh Sports Minister Narad Rai on Sunday said that he felt sad that people in the relief camps were dying in spite of all provisions made by the UP government.

"I did not say anything insensitive. I was feeling sad that people in the camps were dying despite all facilities provided by the government as well as angry that people were blaming the deaths on the government. Death is something that is inevitable. It can take place anywhere and everywhere," said Rai.

"The riot victims were provided with food, shelter, medicine and everything else that was required. I can assure that none of the deaths happened because of irresponsibility of the government," he said.

Read here: UP Minister's comments on riot victims draw ire

Narad Rai on Saturday said that death occurs everywhere, even in palaces. "Death of children, adults or elderly is inevitable. It isn't necessary that only those living in camps are dying. People die in palaces too. It isn't that children in our homes don't die. Deaths occur everywhere," Rai said.

Few days back the Akhilesh Yadav government had accepted that 34 children living in relief camps have died in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. The admission of deaths by the state government was based on a report by a high-level official panel formed by it to probe the fatalities in relief camps.

Officials said that these deaths took place between September 7 and December 20, when winter chill set in. While 12 children died in the camps, the remaining 22 died in hospitals or nursing homes where they were taken for medical care.