At the height of the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan a friend from Jaipur was on a holiday in the southern states. He had planned his journeys on train and that included a return to his hometown. But the last part became difficult because the agitators had blocked the train track. So he arrived in Delhi to spend some unplanned days with his son. 'At this time the shortest train route from Jaipur to Delhi is via Thiruvananthapuram,' he wryly remarked.
When the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikhs clashed in a Mumbai suburb a household was on its edges as a daughter, living alone on that far off metropolis, worked close to the affected area. Reports that the agitators were brandishing swords, pelting stones at buses and stopping suburban trains only increased anxiety. Worse, that communication wonder of the modern era, the mobile phone, did not prove to be helpful. Was it switched off, was there a break in the network because of the violent agitation, or was it something worse? There was no choice but to live through some anxious moments- that seemed like eternity.
But the mobile phone had no apparent role to play and even the alternative of a thousand mile detour was not possible to overcome the problem of travelling by road to a town 200 km north of Delhi during an agitation that had hit Haryana because the national highway was blocked by agitators. Well, actually there were other alternatives, including a different road and a train connection but these options were ruled out because it was possible to postpone the trip by a day or two.
Out of several previous road journeys on that road, during one particular unannounced 'rasta roko' agitation the bus driver, after waiting for nearly an hour in the middle of the hot day, decided to explore a way out by trampling through the standing crops over a couple of miles before hitting the road again. This adventure won appreciation from the captive passengers, but perhaps they did not realise that the enterprising bus driver might have destroyed the equivalent of their wheat quota for may be one year! There was also the possibility that the tiller of the land whose crop had been destroyed by the bus was around and decided to let off his fury with an attack on the bus and its passengers.
The state of one's mind can well be judged if the business for an outstation journey is extremely urgent and it would brook no delay or postponement. What if the uncle whose health had deteriorated was unable to hold out during the spell of the agitation? He did give up his fight for life just after the siege of the road was lifted.
Rail and road traffic blockades of main arteries have become frequent in almost all parts of the country. In Naxal-affected central and eastern India it comes with the additional danger of fatal attacks. The option of air travel is not available to most people who may be affected by surface traffic blockades, not only because it will be out of their reach but also because there may be no air links.
The point really is how much of a nuisance this business of blocking main highways and major rail arteries is becoming and how seriously can it affect a person. Those who have suffered from road and rail 'roko' frequently would be pardoned for imagining that perhaps there is a deliberate attempt to bring the country under siege.
Since protests form an essential part of democracy there can be no question of an official caveat against agitators spilling on to the streets and main thoroughfares. Large Indian cities, especially the national capital, are witness to almost daily man-made or VIP-induced traffic snarls that those who rarely use surface transport to commute between towns find more irritating than the planned hold-ups of roads by grieving citizenry.
There are some differences in the two situations. The traffic in the city, disrupted either by undisciplined drivers or 'VIP movement', is often anticipated. That is to say most people would know which are the 'problem' areas when rushing to work in the morning and, if possible, would take another route. In Delhi, for instance, people avoid taking the 'BRT' section of the road when going to office in the morning or returning home in the evening.
The inconvenience or irritation caused by traffic mayhem within the city does not usually last beyond 15-20 minutes or at the most an hour, even though for those who cannot afford to be late for their appointments or have medical emergencies such unscheduled delays are a cause of great annoyance.
The unexpected blockade on a highway or a sudden break in a train journey in the middle or nowhere or a small wayside station is many times more troublesome.
The victim is totally helpless. The state machinery is first of all not easily visible near the scene of the blockade. If it is, it is primarily concerned with keeping an eye on agent provocateurs. One is not aware if there has been any instance when the police force has actually helped the more pressing 'emergency' cases among the stranded populace complete their journey.
Perhaps, it is unfair to expect the police or anyone else to help the hapless stranded passengers. Any such move would almost certainly be resented by the agitators. It could result in a further rise in tension, even subjecting the passenger to violent attacks. A mob is too much preoccupied by its own cause, right or wrong, to worry about the personal problems of others.
There is, of course, no reason to demand that agitations of certain forms should be banned by a government order. That will be denying people living in a democratic country a fundamental right. But there is still a way out.
Political parties should henceforth come to a common agreement, which may or may not be written down, not to force a total stoppage of traffic movements on highways, railway tracks-and even the cities. There have been some 'huge' demonstrations in Delhi where participants undertook long walks through the busy thoroughfares but restricted themselves to a part of the carriageway. The movement on the rest of the road was naturally slowed, but the traffic never stopped. Despite many sullen faces, overall there was no sense that the city had come to a stop.
Something similar can be easily replicated on the highways, that is, if in the first place it is necessary to take the agitation to the highway. Frankly, stopping all traffic on highways makes little sense and uprooting rail tracks makes even lesser sense when the same point can be made equally effectively by demonstrating in a part of the state capital or any other city or town the agitators fancy as the apt venue for ventilating their grievances.
India can do without a siege without diluting its democratic credentials.
Chandramohan, -Syndicate Features
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