Sonbhadra killings: Wounds are fresh in this UP village but life goes on

india

Updated: Jul 25, 2019 11:41 IST

A week after the gruesome killing of 10 persons in firing on July 17 by a powerful village head and his men over a land dispute, Umbha village in Sonbhadra today seems to be trying hard to look normal.

To the outsider at least, it presents everyday village scenes -- a group of locals sitting under a thatched shade, busy chatting. Nearby, some children play in a courtyard. Schools too have opened. However, talk to the locals and the scars the episode left instantly show up.

Rampati Gond says that he tries hard but can’t forget the horrific memory of the day.

“Silence prevails all over the field (disputed land) today. The scene was entirely different last Wednesday. Bodies of nine people were lying in the field. The injured lay writhing in pain. One more died later in the hospital,” Gond says adding the incident has left a very deep scar on the mind of the locals.

Ramraj, another resident of the village, says, “Umbha will not be able to forget the gruesome incident. We lost 10 people in an attempt to save the land which they cultivated for hundreds of years. Ashok was my friend. I lost him. He will never come back.”

Mostly tribals, villagers here earn their livelihood either through agriculture or by working as daily wagers.

On Wednesday, Vijay Kumar, a youth in his early 20s, along with other locals Ajay Kumar, Babbu and others, visited the indigo tree standing tall near the disputed land around half a kilometre off Umbha. They spent around half an hour under the tree and recalled those killed in the incident. Kumar said that after the incident, Umbha saw as it never had visits by many politicians and a number of officials. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the village on Sunday and called on members of the victims’ families and those of the injured.

“The situation is getting normal. Our village is limping back to normality,” he said adding that the government should ensure strict possible action against the accused.