The seizure of the Rajdhani express by tribals in West Bengal on Tuesday was certainly the news of the day. The move seen by many as more of a publicity stunt than violence, is a grim remainder to India that the fruits of a liberalized, modern India have not reached it masses.
The attack would not have been possible without the backing of Maoists and so should be seen as a Maoist attack rather than tribals holding up a train. The incident spread like wildfire, and still it took 7 hours to free the train. Logistical difficulties of commuting in rural India, or a slow reaction? Nobody knows.
The visibly shaken driver of the train narrated the story in complete horror. Hard to imagine what he might have gone through in those horrifying 7 hours.
So what should we read from the incident? Well for starts the people who caused the attack are not left-ists, but left-outs. The marginalized sector of the Indian populace is speaking out in the only language they know. Can you really blame them? Next, this issue brings to light the miserable way the issue of Naxals, Maoists and any other separatists movement, has been dealt with in India.
At some level I simply feel that the latter point should make some noise by itself. So I will stop.
