Back on its feet, fear and anger writ large

Malegaon: Eight days after serial blasts ripped through Malegaon, the city appears to have gotten back to normalcy.

But there is a subtle and palpable tension. On Thursday, Malegaon had its usual buzz about it. But for the police presence, the look of the place would not suggest anything unusual.

Shops have opened, schools are holding classes and children are attending, women are busy buying their daily supplies and men are back at work. However, scratch this surface a little and a picture of fear, anxiety and helplessness emerges, with thick anger on the edges.

The blasts, the noise, the blood, the screams and the wounds are all fresh in their minds.
Iftakhar is a teacher at a junior college.

“What happened on Wednesday in Malegaon has stunned us all. Even though it was a hoax, it created panic. The situation is not back to normal. We are in fear. But we have gone back to work, what else can we do?” he asks. They do not come out openly with the communal angle. Sahid Sheikh, a young local, was among those who were willing to speak about it.

“The blasts are an effort to target the Muslim community. The government is busy with its own formalities. Who is worried about the people?” he laments.

The ire is evidently against the police and the administrative machinery. “Police is doing their job but if it was enough, the daring attempts to ridicule the public and the police by a hoax bomb would not have happened.

We have taken the responsibility upon ourselves to protect our religious places. We hope that the police will be there but we youngsters will keep a strict vigil on those entering for the Friday prayers,” says Haroonbhai, who has volunteered to stand guard at the Bada Kabrastan, where the blasts occurred.

Moulana Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the religious head here, has also appealed to the youngsters to be alert and people to be alert of their surroundings.