BHAGALPUR, BIHAR: October 24, 1989,
BHAGALPUR, BIHAR: It was 10 am on October 24, 1989, a Tuesday. Even after 26 years, Jamila Bibi vividly remembers the events of the day. “Us manhoos din ko kaisey bhool sakti hoon jisne hamaein barbaad kar diya (How can I forget that unfortunate day that ruined us),” asks the 55-year-old.
Jamila, then 29, was struggling to finish her early morning chores. With a threeyear-old daughter seeking her attention and a two-year-old son equally pressing for her time, Jamila somehow managed to ..
Her husband, Mohammad Murtaza, came running home from his handloom unit. “Dange ho gayein hain, jaldi bhaago yahan se (Riots have broken out. Let’s move out quickly),” he screamed. Jamila lifted her two kids and ran out with her husband, leaving behind everything.
The entire village was gutted by the rioters, says Jamila who took refuge in Champanagar, some 500 metres from Madaninagar in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. Whilst Madaninagar today houses around 3,500 Muslim weaver families, B ..
