JOURNEYS & JOURNEYS – 10    Trip to Mansa (Punjab)

1992 April 17. Only a few months have passed after Bhopal AIC of E.III Union and Com.Moni Bose and myself elected as General Secretary and President of the Union, defeating the four decades’ GS Com.O.P.Gupta and his team. Workers all over the country were enthused that a new progressive leadership has come. Every circle wanted the new leadership to attend their conferences. Bhatinda District Union (Punjab) leaders invited me to attend their Conference to be held on 18th and 19th April 1992 at Mansa. I readily agreed. There was no time to reserve a ticket.

Started for Mansa in the morning by train from Delhi in ordinary compartment. The train was going very slowly, stopping at almost all stations. After some time the train stopped at a small station and even after much time did not continue its journey. Engine break down. Another engine was connected after hours and train started slowly. It was an old type of engine, steam engine running on coal. I had thought that such old engines were out of service. But no. I could not get any food since I left from Delhi and was very exhausted.

Slowly, slowly it reached Mansa at about 20.00 hours. It was very dark. The station was only dimly lit. Biting cold, though winter season was almost over. Everybody in woolen dresses. I had not brought warm clothes as I did not think it will be cold. I got down waiting for our comrades. Five – six persons, their faces covered, with long country made guns on the shoulders of two or three, approached me.  It was a time when there were continued confrontations between police and Khalistan extremists. It was an explosive situation and I was terrified. It turned out that they were our comrades welcoming me. We got introduced. They told that it was not safe to go out in night without guns. They covered me with a woolen coat, seeing that I was not wearing any wollen clothes and was shivering.

I was thinking that they will arrange my stay in some hotel, telephone exchange or Gurudwara. They said these are not safe and took me to the residence of Com. Prathap Singh, union leader. The houses were built in such a way that the partition walls were same. They told that the area is in a safe zone from the extremists. It was spacious inside and after food, I went to sleep. As I was very tired and without food the whole day, slept heavily.

By about 06.00 hours next day, Prathap Singh came to the room with a cup of hot tea telling that his wife told him that Kerala people will take tea early morning. I did not ask how she knew that. Women always are aware of such small and intricate matters. It was very good tea. 

The Divisional Conference went on for two days with tight security. The doors were closed with armed comrades outside. Com. N.K.Jeet was the District Secretary, who always stood with our progressive group. (After retirement he started practicing in  Punjab High Court.).Returned next day to New Delhi. 

Delhi comrades told me that it was very risky and foolish to have gone to Punjab at that time as there was an explosive situation there. Anyhow, I had returned safe.

V A N Namboodiri  17.10.2024