Uttarakhand shame: Homes being looted, thieves targeting dead

The Uttarakhand floods have left the scenic mountain state completely devastated and two weeks later there’s no accurate death toll, with some reports stating that the number of dead could cross 5000.

While feel good tales of how jawans from the Army, IAF and ITBP rescuing people are the focus, the floods have also revealed a darker side of humanity. Survivors in Uttarakhand are dealing with their homes being looted and thieves have also robbed the bodies of those who died in the tragedy.

Priyali Sur from CNN-IBN reported on the issue of theft and looting in Uttarakhand.

She spoke to Birender Singh has been coming to Kedarnath from Nepal for the past five years to earn a living. He told her that he had seen the bodies of pilgrims robbed of money and jewellery. “We saw dead bodies whose trousers, belts, licenses and all other valuables were stolen,” he said.

Locals in Gaurikund, which was hit badly by the floods, blame Nepali migrants. “The outsiders hide in the forests to steal valuables from the pilgrims and the locals are blamed,” said a local Mukesh Goswami.

Authorities have also confirmed that reports of theft have indeed come in. “While rescuing some people from site, we have found a bag full of money and jewels. The money is around Rs 1.14 crore. These people have been handed over to local authorities,” said ITBP DG Ajay Chadha.