Something really weird happened tonight. I was in the bus and the bus was only half occupied. I took out my newspaper and was spreading it out and suddenly the driver applied hard brake, there was confusion and everyone started getting down hurriedly. It seems a man was hit by the bus. The conductor rushed out and suddenly few people from outside entered the bus menacingly moved towards the driver. By now most passengers had got down and I was shoving the newspaper into my bag and was close to the driver. Someone started to hit the driver and I instinctively shielded him. One part of my brain was coolly taking notes and here are the observations.
Initially this crowd asked me to hand the driver over to them. 'usko hamare paas de deejiye madam, usne ek aadmi ko maar dala hai'. I was telling them to rush the guy to hospital. They said the conductor had already accompanied the 'body'.
The driver was standing against the railing separating the drivers seat from the rest of the bus and I was covering him with my body and many blows landed on him and some on me too.
Then some people begged me with folded hands. 'Madam aap usko kyun bacha rahi hain? hamare havale kar deejiye.' Generally people hesitate to touch a woman. The driver was whimpering - 'please mat jaayiye'
Then it became really dirty. First they were pulling away my hands which were clenched to the rails. Then someone started pinching and pawing. I wanted to kick that bastard, but held back because I realized that the moment I lifted my foot, they would get the idea that instead of pulling me away, it would be much easier to lift me away. I did not know how much longer I could hold but I did not want to see someone lynched in front of my eyes
Then some people broke the windows of the bus. Suddenly I could visualize someone setting the bus on fire.
About ten minutes after the accident, then suddenly the mob started running away as a police jeep arrived. There were four policemen. They took my statement. They asked me if the bus was being driven rashly- I hadn't noticed anything, I was reading newspaper. I showed my ID, gave my address and phone number, the driver broke down and finally I came away.
My left shoulder is numb.
See in your own blog, you had said that mob needs a motive. An unknown group of people have to motive to attack bus conductor. In Mumbai this time, a mob had Islam as a reason.
ReplyDeleteIt was the driver. I read it again to verify
ReplyDeleteWell, believe it or not, in this case the mob was wrong. Last night while boarding the bus, I thought the driver saluted me. As I was getting down at my stop, the driver stopped the bus and greeted me, it was the same driver! He told me that the guy was dead drunk and he was merely stunned. He was discharged after first aide. That explains why I got no call from the police or BEST. So the mob thought that they had Islam as the reason but were left holding morphed images, a couple of deaths and humiliations and injuries to police because they were identified with the state. I find this alienation from state very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you say but at the spur of the moment, the mob had started to misbehave with you as well. They burnt the bus at that time . think about the same mob doing the same in godhra. some shopkeepers , hawkers and even common people lurking around a station and with a so called rumor of a girl molestation, they burnt out a whole bogey with women and children in it.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you were not there at that time to save the driver. he would have been lynched for a petty reason but did the people care whether the guy was drunk or not at that time.
We are individual people at any point of time but we become a mob when we have a common motive. The Muslims protesting against the atrocities in Burma was a mob with a common motive.
No bus was burnt. It was just a thought in my head.
ReplyDeleteA large group of people with a common cause do not necessarily become a mob. Having any amount of grievance is one thing. Demonizing the other party is another.One need not lead to the other. Once the other is demonized, violence just needs a spark to erupt.
Now the atrocities in Burma are real,even though some of the images were fake. The desire to protest, unhappiness with media coverage were justified. But --
1. Only muslims were unhappy? I am absolutely sure that most of the people who were in the meeting heard about the atrocities during the mobilization. So why did the organizers not approach other groups like trade unions, women's groups etc. But I must add that usually these other groups together cannot mobilize more than a few hundred at the most.I have taken part in umpteen demonstrations where the number was far from being in 3 figures.
2. But imagine a public meeting with muslims and non muslim assamese appealing for peace!
Myanmar President has announced establishment of a 27-member commission comprising of representative cross section of national figures, to investigate the violence. UN has welcomed the move lauding the reform and reconciliation efforts. Tempers are cooling in Bangalore also.
ReplyDelete