Terror on the train

The truth and irony was that I was a bonafide resident of Arunachal Pradesh and more than half of those injured in that train that day were from different Northeastern states, not including Assam. And the real reason behind the attack was a railway recruitment exam.

Back in the safe confines of my room in Delhi when I read about other trains being attacked, a Naga girl allegedly raped and a few other Northeastern girls molested, I was so shocked and outraged that for one shameful moment I was happy about the ULFA’s retaliation in Assam.

But is it so difficult to understand my reaction? Especially for someone from the Northeast who has to assert her identity every moment and yet not be accepted as a part of mainland India in the true sense of the word. For any other part of the country, the entire episode might be a political game. But for the Northeast such attacks will always have a communal edge to them. It is as if our ethnic identities have been challenged.

I wish this episode had never happened. My friends tell me I was lucky I escaped unhurt. I think about the Naga girl who was allegedly raped and am not sure about what to say. Others tell me to forget the entire episode. But I am not sure how to do so with newspaper accounts reaching me every day.

But there is one thing I am sure of. Deep within me, I know that there are some things in life that are much above petty quarrels. What binds Bihar to Assam will stand the test of all times. Of this I am sure, my tryst with near death notwithstanding.

(The writer is a university student)