Other States - Orissa

Women prefer to stay indoors in Kandhamal

BERHAMPUR: The people especially women of Kandhamal district were stoic to the complete lifting of curfew in four police station areas of the district.

Curfew was completely lifted from Baliguda, Phulbani, Tumudibandh, Phiringia areas while night curfew continued in areas of Tikabali, K.Nuagaon, Raikia, G.Udaygiri and Sarangagada. The restrictions imposed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code were also lifted in Kandhamal district.

But it did not bring in any enthused response from the common mass. The women were the most stoic lot. Women of all strata of the economy in the district have been the worst sufferers of the communal violence.

Even after the lifting of restrictions very few women were seen on the streets of Baliguda on Saturday evening.

Few women dared to come out and visit the Patakhanda temple in the heart of Baliguda which they had not visited since more than one and half months. But everywhere the panic prevailed in the subconscious and the joy of freedom from restrictions was no where visible on the faces where curfew was lifted completely.

“The long period of panic of violence and restrictions under curfew has taken a toll on our psyche,” said Usha Rani of Baliguda. According to her they have lost interest in the visit of VIPs from outside calling for peace and even for the announcements regarding relaxation of curfew. Another woman B.L.Sahu said earlier they were watchful of the news bulletins on TV and were also prone to gossips. But long period of cloistered life under compulsion of communal violence has made people like her stay away from these gossips and news about happenings in the district.

Most of them like Ms. Sahu whose house is in front of Mt. Carmel Convent in Baliguda feel the district would return back to normalcy only when the women would feel secure to come out without any tinge of panic in their hearts. But it would be a long time for the women of the district to feel secure again to come out all alone on the streets alone due to the communal rioting in the district in recent times. Many middle class women surely envied the women of lower strata whose economic needs compels them to come out and enjoy the fresh air outside rather than sitting cocooned in own houses.

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