China Police Prohibits Students From Paying Tribute To Victims Of 2021 Henan Floods

China Police Prohibits Students From Paying Tribute To Victims Of 2021 Henan Floods

In the latest attempt to obstruct civil society in executing their rights, China on Friday prevented students from mourning the victims of the Henan flood that wreaked havoc in 2021. The Chinese Police categorically stopped students from offering prayers and flowers at the flood site and place in the city in an expression of grief. The state police urged the students to vacate the areas, saying that they were not allowed to pay tribute, a non-mainstream Hong Kong-based media said.

The report further suggested that the police actions came after residents of Zhengzhou (capital of Henan) received an unofficial message against empathising with flood victims. Meanwhile, photos and videos surfaced on Telegram showing regional police prohibiting them from laying wreaths in the flood-affected areas near Henan. This incident evidently adds to the alarming trends of curtailing human rights and freedoms in China. Meanwhile, China's Twitter-like platform Weibo on Friday was reportedly pouring with mass discontent over being stopped from carrying out social events to remember the flood victims.

Henan floods
In July 2021, "rare and severe rainfall" triggered a series of floods in China's Henan province. The torrential rains submerged underground railway tunnels, neighbours leaving people stranded in neck-deep water. Meanwhile, torrents gushed on roads after dams and reservoirs breached warning levels, causing massive landslides and houses to collapse. The region experienced rainfall equivalent to a year's average in three days. Nearly 400 people died in the Henan flood which inflicted about $18.9 billion in direct economic losses. Apart from the casualties, dozens went missing during the natural calamity that rocked the mainland.

Chinese officials indicted for concealing information on casualties during flood.

Months after the flood subsided, Chinese regional authorities were summoned by Beijing for allegedly concealing and underreporting casualties. According to a CNN report, in January this year, a dozen of officials were penalised for relaxed response to the floods and withholding crucial information after the torrential rain and flooding of Zhengzhou city. As reported by Xinhua, the accused officials were found "guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty" by the investigating committee employed by Beijing and overseen by CCP's Central Committee. "They did not tally and report casualties on a daily basis as required, and have deliberately impeded and withheld reports of up to 139 cases," the report stated.