I was hardly seven years old in February 2002. We used to live in Gandhinagar. Most of the Muslims of Gandhinagar lived in Sector 29, whereas we used to live in Sector 24. There were only three Muslim families in our colony, and if I remember correctly, one had already left.
I do not remember the exact date from my faint memory. It was either the 26th or 27th of February, 2002, when my family and the other Muslim one, decided to take refuge in the house of their relatives living in Sector 29.
We started walking at night. My mother and the other lady were walking together, with her daughter in tow. I was walking with my father, silently, in the shadows of the night.
I do not remember much from the walk except that we reached their relative’s house successfully. I saw a lot of police personnel in blue uniforms.
That night, my mother told me that a mob was returning after having burnt a showroom called “Mastana”. The mob spotted my mom and the other lady, and someone shouted, “Miyanio chhe (they are Muslim ladies)!” However, thankfully, my mother and her companion reached our destination safely.
A policeman was following the both of them silently for their safety.
Some of our neighbours were pure evil, but I don’t want to talk about that. Others were kind enough to reassure us by telling us that, “Please don’t leave, we will protect you.”
And, we even entrusted a Hindu neighbour with all of our belongings before we left. But, the paranoia was surreal. After 20 years, I can only hope that the society has matured a bit.