NEWS
VIEWS
INTERVIEWS
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ISSUES '98
MANIFESTOS
OVERHEARD
POLLING BOOTH
INDIA SPEAKS!
YEH HAI INDIA
CHAT
ELECTIONS '96

Fear stalks Wandhama on election day

Mukhtar Ahmad in Wandhama

Old woman Fazi can feel it in the cold morning air. A chill, a certain sense of dread, which has been growing on her. Sitting inside her compound, she experienced it all the more powerfully now, as she watched the small group ascending on Wandhama.

Were they, too, killers? Would it be a repeat of January 26, when 23 of her fellowfolks were gunned down in cold blood?

"There is no one here," she shouted in her quivering voice, "Everyone has gone to vote."

The group of men stopped. And, seeing the fear writ unmistakably on Fazi's wizened face, as also on those of the few women and children whom they had met earlier (they had rushed into their houses), the men tried to reassure her: Nothing to fear, they said, we are not militants, but journalists.

"We are scared of strangers," Fazi called out, "Security forces encouraged us to go for polling without fear... but we are still scared. Anyway, we do not know who the candidates are. No one visited this village to share our grief. We have lost interest in everything after the tragedy. We lost 23 of our brothers and sisters."

The village, obviously, is still far from recovery. The deserted roads, the closed doors and widows, and the blanket of fear shrouding it are proof enough.

"We miss our Vinod Kumar (the lone survivor)," said Haji Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din, adding, "Please wait till the village elders return after casting their votes.''

Many people, Haji said, had migrated to other places after the massacre -- they wanted to return, but were still fearful.

"We do not know who killed them and why. They were innocent villagers," said Mohammad Sultan, who belonged to a nearby village.

"Now we have to travel a long way for medical help. It was Moti Lal and his son Sanjay, the two medical assistants in Wandhama, who used to treat us."

The villagers, who, once they got over their intial fear, came out of their houses, were worried about their relatives who had gone for election duty to Srinagar and other places.

"When will they return? I have not seen my son for the last five days. I am worried about him. Our wounds are still fresh," said Zoona.

An elderly villager showed the group the abandoned houses of Pandits. His repeated question to the journalists was: "Will this election bring back Vinod Kumar and the others?"

Will it? The journalists had no answer.

EARLIER REPORTS:
'I heard the cries of my mother and sisters'
IB reports Pak will step up terror tactics in J&K to disrupt polls
Farooq blamed for Pandits's massacre
Massacre has jeopardised Indo-Pak peace process: Farooq
'The return of Pandits to Kashmir means the return of Kashmir to India'
Wandhama terrorists identified: army
Gujral visits Wandhama
NHRC to probe Pandits's massacre
Narayanan promises security to Pandits
'We are not going to bring the migrants back soon'

Elections '98

Tell us what you think of this report