The Culture of the Saffron People  

(Sharad Gupta, Lucknow) Salqa Bano (6) and her brother Zafar Iqbal (10), who were thrown. out of a moving train in Jaunpur district on the night of Dec. 11 have received serious head injuries. The story of the accident, in which they received almost fatal injuries, reeks of Inhumanity, barbarism and fanaticism. The children’s father, Straj Ahmed (40) a mechanic, a native of Gudsara tehsil in Ghazipur district, was returning to Bara Banki where he runs a workshop. Along with his wife, Kausar Begum. and four children he boarded the Varanasi-Bareilly passenger from Varanasi at 9.10 am. When the train reached Jaunpur at 11 pm hundreds of people with saffron headbands boarded the train, shouting slogans. After two stations had passed one of them suddenly pointed towards Ahmed’s family. They pounced upon Ahmed who was conspicuous by his beard and started pulling at It. He was thrashed badly. According to Ahmad, “they tried to throw me out of the moving train but my wife resisted and said that if they killed me, they should kill all the six of us”. As the train crossed Malipur station, they threw Ahmed’s one-year-old daughter. Uzma Bano, out of the moving train, followed by Shabana Bano (4). Saqia Bano and Zafar Iqbal out of the compartment. (Times of India Dec. 17).