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Bihar comes to the rescue of Maharashtrians
Students blocking a track at Motihari railway station in Bihar on Thursday in protest against attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra.
MUMBAI: It is an experience 70-year-old Kumud Pawde and many others will not forget in a hurry. She and 64 members of a group touring Buddhist places of pilgrimage were stuck in a bus near Patna while riots broke out on October 21. They almost did not make it back home to Nagpur. If it was not for Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh from Janata Dal (United) and the Patna police, the story could have been very different.
Mr. Singh said the group was really scared and on that day Patna was in a bad shape as trains were being burnt and mobs were on the streets. “I issued instructions to the police officials in Patna and they assured me that nothing would happen to them. I also asked the police to provide them escort. It was my duty to help them in such a situation. We believe in an inclusive philosophy,” he told The Hindu.
Patna station was gheraoed by a huge mob and the police did not let the bus go ahead. The 57 women, mostly senior citizens, were in the bus while the eight men travelled in a jeep. The group was tense because their return tickets were booked on the Bagmati Express which was to leave that night.
Describing it as a thrilling experience, Ms. Pawde said, “One of the women in the group was wearing a sari the Maharashtrian way and we had to change that. She was 80 years old and we had to remind her to speak in Hindi every time she stepped out of the bus to go to the toilet.”
While Bihari students were beaten up in Mumbai, this group of Maharashtrians touring Bihar had a totally different experience. Nagpur-based Hira Pawar, 63, wife of author Daya Pawar, too was part of it. They had already visited Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kushinagar and in Bihar, Vaishali and Bodh Gaya, when riots broke out in Bihar. On October 21, the group was on its way to Patna when they were stopped by the police about 8 km before the city at a petrol pump on the highway.
Ms. Pawar said the group was stuck in the bus without food and water for nearly 12 hours. “We only got tea. We had a really peaceful tour for ten days but on that morning we were terrified when we heard that riots had broken out in Bihar and as Maharashtrians we were really scared. We decided not to speak in Marathi and wore our saris the North Indian way, covering our heads. In the bus most of the women were over 60, there were only a few young girls,” she said.
“We heard about the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) beating up Bihari students. There was a lot of tension over the death of Pawan Kumar who was allegedly beaten by the MNS to death and we knew there would be trouble,” she said. The group was desperately trying every resource available to get them out of the spot they were in. Finally, help came from Mr. Digvijay Singh who contacted senior police officials in Patna.
“The police did not allow the bus to move till the situation near the station had improved. When the way was cleared, the bus and a jeep in which the men were travelling reached Patna station. The police escorted us to the platform and made us wait in their cabins. They were so protective of us and they did not let us sit in the usual waiting rooms. One of the officers told me that no one will touch a hair on my head,” Ms. Pawde said. “We were worried the train would leave but luckily it was late and even when the train came, the engine driver was told to wait till all of us had boarded the train. The police themselves carried our luggage and kept it inside the train.”.
“People have the freedom to travel anywhere in the country,” said Ms. Pawde. “We were so happy with the experience in Patna and the police. We were really touched by their kindness,” she remarked.
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