Days and nights in a zombie town

 

 

This is a gruesome story of over 40 rapes and seven mysterious deaths. These gory acts had taken place in a Dalit-dominated slum in Nagpur's Kasturba Nagar in 2004. In police records, majority of the deaths are described as 'accidental'. Also, in a majority of the cases, there are no FIRs, no reports of kidnapping or torture. Nearly 26 residents fled the area to escape the terror. Most of them have not returned.

The reign of terror was unleashed by a local gangster, Akku Yadav. He was murdered by a mob in court. But this daredevil act has not actually transformed Kasturba Nagar into a model colony. The police, which looked the other way when Akku unleashed mayhem, are now harassing residents.

Advocate Vilas Bhonde, one the main accused in the Akku Yadav murder, tells TSI of the face of law. “Cops raid houses late at night. They indiscriminately pick up people and detain them for days. We are not told the reason for their arrests or detention.” Locals also complain about the police post, which apparently has been set up to maintain law and order. A local activist Usha Narayan said the police post has been set up to “keep an eye on us.” “Whenever we take up cudgels for the Dalit cause, we are harassed by the keepers of the law.”

The residents of Kasturba Nagar were subjected to regular police raids when they protested the recent atrocities on Dalits in Khairlanji and Kanpur. The cops suspected that the residents had Naxalite links. “Akku's brutality made our lives miserable. But the police is making it more difficult,” says Usha.

As one walks through the serpentine bylanes of Kasturba Nagar, the stench of overflowing drains, dim streetlights and vacant looks in the eyes of Akku’s victims bring you close to a grim reality. In one street corner is Akku's house. The house, which was once filled with screams and shrieks of victims, today appears haunted. Close by is the residence of a mother and daughter who were regularly raped by the dreaded don. The sordid tale does not end here, neither does the trauma with which four hapless people have to live. Both the mother and daughter (the victims) have two daughters by the gangster. There are other women who committed suicide after being raped by Akku.

During his long unhindered run of terror, Akku had destroyed the lives of many. Extortion and torture were a routine affair in Kasturba Nagar. According to a survey conducted by the Rishi Apang Uthan Sanstha, an NGO, more than 40 residents have developed psychological disorders. Today, people are struggling to come to terms with whatever is left of their lives. Ahmad Bhai is one of them. His furniture shop was destroyed by Akku. He says, “We are trying. After all, life has to go on.”

Akku’s murder in court has made the slum famous. People from across the globe come to see the place and talk to residents. Documentaries and films are being made.

Today, there are many Kasturba Nagars in the country and perhaps the story is the same. It is time that the authorities concerned provide a healing touch. Kasturba Nagar is not a story of sex, violence and crime. It is a story of crime and its consequences in modern India, at the hands of insensitive politicians and a corrupt administration.