What led to the fuming and fury of the people was her swearing  in the historic Nrimata temple of Lord Shiva and Parvati in the very presence of her first husband Rakesh Kumar Singh and their two year daughter Hriddhi that she had not embraced Islam  to marry Jacky. Besides committing what has been perceived as blasphemy, she had hurt the sentiments and feelings of Hindus. Moreover, she betrayed her electorate who said that they had voted for Rumi and not Reshma. She was also blamed for creating a ‘love-hate hysteria’ in Hailakandi district by civil society. A series of incidents involving the ‘amorous-affairs’ between Hindu girls and Muslim boys rocked the hypersensitive zone which many said got momentum and currency following the Rumi - Jacky elopement, disrupting peace and harmony.

The communal divide in the valley is more or less apparent and might explode at any moment, a reality glossed over by the administrative and security agencies, more particularly by the Congress party and its leaders who instead of reining in Rumi maintained a safe distance. Realising that the worst might come to pass, Rumi Nath’s parents, Troilakya Bhushan Nath and Ratna Nath and her in law home of Fazlur Rahman, former DSP, as well the intimate friend of Jacky disowned them and refused to provide them any shelter. Rumi was determined to defy the ban on her entry to the valley. People knew what would happen but not the administration, civil and police.

It was June 29 when Rumi along with Jacky came to Borkhola, her constituency, to meet the people in the aftermath of the floods. Her very presence enraged the flood-victims in the relief camps. She was hooted, booed and shoed away. But, the worst thing happened when Rumi and Jacky went to stay at a hotel in the border town of Karimganj. It was around 8.30 pm. A mob of hundreds entered the hotel room by breaking open the door. She in particular was the target. Rumi, five months pregnant, was subjected to merciless blows and kicks all over her body. Jacky too was hit while trying to protect her. She was dragged down to the street thereafter and her thrashing continued for 45 minutes when a strong force of police and CRPF rushed to the spot to save her. She lay unconscious, bleeding from her mouth and nose. The mob even disrobed her. As tension ran high across the valley, under heavy security, Rumi and Jacky were taken to Guwahati in the dead of night for medical care and treatment.

Badly battered and bruised, but not broken, Rumi with Jacky appeared before the TV channels of Guwahati in her hostel room at Dispur to say among other things that she would not be cowed down but would stand up to see that the culprits of the night were booked and punished and that she would again go to the Karimganj hotel to dine. In between, she did the most daring act of raiding the hostel room of her party MLA from North Karimganj, Kamalakha Dey Purkayastha, with the help of police to nab 5 youths having lunch then, suspecting them to be behind her brutal assault. Quite interestingly, from a ‘private matter’, it had become a ‘party matter’. This did bring to the fore the ugly face of conflict and feud within the party.

It was around 8.30 pm. A mob of hundreds entered the hotel room by breaking open the door. She in particular was the target. Rumi, five months pregnant, was subjected to merciless blows and kicks all over her body.

However, its communal manifestation came out more pronouncedly when the valley got divided between Rumi and Reshma. Protests, bandhs and blockades by both the communities in retaliation to one another followed. Mayhem that took place in certain places shook the amity and harmony. The scene at Kalain, not far away from the district headquarters of Cachar, in the aftermath of clashes on July 4 left one dead in police custody and eight seriously injured, one of them losing his right eye forever.

Strangely enough, even after Barak Valley was boiling and a communal frenzy gripped at emotions, people were left to decide how best peace and harmony could be restored. Three ministers, two MPs and twelve MLAs from the valley themselves looked confused and confounded at the turn of events. Saner and sensible sections of citizens from both the communities could understand how a third force taking advantage of the weak-kneed policy of Dispur was exploiting the situation. Peace has no doubt come back in the valley. But, people are shuddering to think of Rumi’s next visit.

Jyotilal Chowdhury