Gujarat riots: An ode to an oddly silent village

Even though a decade passed by since the time when all hell broke loose on this small hamlet of Ode, situated some 90 kms away from Ahmedabad, the villagers in Ode are still trying to fathom what went wrong on that fateful day of March 1, 2002.

Mob fury set ablaze a house with 23 members of Muslim community burnt alive in the inferno. Three more people from the same community were killed at two different places in the same village on the second day on March 2, 2002. However, a gap of 10 long years hasn't been able to erase the fear from the survivors' eyes.

The village, having a population of more than 60,000, and known for growing various type of chillies and capsicums turned eerily silent on April 9, almost as if there was an unannounced curfew. But, all the villagers in every household waited with bated breath for the court's verdict in the massacre case of March 1, 2002. Even the stray dogs kept out of sight in the village streets that were almost chock-a-block with police personnel who were posted on the various 'sensitive' spots.

The village painted a barren landscape sans the humdrum of daily activities, like live market, people movement etc. The tired police personnel were seen taking refuge under the shades of buildings, while labourers rested on their handcarts — all waiting for the day to pass off peacefully and normal life to return to their village.