章 7: Riots - I

The dawn of October 1, 1947, was anything but peaceful.

The cracks in the newly formed nation were widening, and everywhere Rohan looked, there was chaos.

The streets, once filled with the celebrations of independence, now were full of violence and unrest.

Rohan woke early, his mind restless.

Every morning felt unreal, the reality of his transmigration from 2024 into 1947 still baffles him.

But this was no dream.

Partition had torn the nation apart, and now, as Prime Minister, he had to pull it back together.

The reports were hard to look at and every day brought new crises.

A sharp knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

Neeraj Kumar, his secretary, entered, his face lined with concern.

He carried a stack of files, each one more urgent than the last.

"Prime Minister, the situation at the border is deteriorating fast," Neeraj said, his voice tight with worry. "The violence in Punjab has reached terrifying levels. Entire villages are being wiped out, and the refugee crisis is spiraling out of control."

Rohan took the files, flipping through the reports.

The numbers were staggering: thousands dead, tens of thousands displaced.

The riots that had erupted since the partition were not isolated incidents, they were spreading like wildfire, consuming everything in their path.

"How bad is it?" Rohan asked, already knowing the answer would be worse than what was on the paper.

"Worse than we feared. Punjab is on fire. Entire trainloads of refugees are being massacred, both Hindu and Muslim. Relief efforts can't keep up with the number of people fleeing. There's hunger, disease, and despair everywhere," Neeraj explained.

Rohan's chest tightened.

He could almost hear the screams of families torn apart, could see the desperate faces of people who had lost everything.

"We need to act immediately. Call an emergency meeting with the Home Minister and top officials. We need a full-scale response."

An hour later, Rohan found himself seated in a packed room at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

V.K. Krishna Menon, the Home Minister, sat at the head of the table.

Across from him was Amar Singh, the Director General of Police, whose face was haggard from overseeing the crumbling law and order situation in the border states.

"Prime Minister," Menon began, his voice steady but filled with the weight of the situation, "the riots have escalated beyond anything we expected. Punjab is bleeding and we don't have the resources to contain this. Every day, more bodies pile up. The massacres...they're beyond imagination."

Rohan could see the exhaustion etched into Menon's face.

The partition had unleashed a flood of violence and hatred that no one seemed prepared for.

The images of the trains arriving in Delhi filled not with refugees, but with corpses played in his mind.

"We have no time," Amar Singh added, his voice cracking slightly. "The police forces are stretched to their limits. We've sent every available man to the borders, but they're barely managing to keep order. The local police are overwhelmed, many are too scared to act, and the military is tied up with other duties."

The room fell silent.

Rohan leaned over the map of India laid out before him, tracing the areas of most intense violence. Punjab looked like war zones.

"We need to stop the bleeding," he said finally, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "We need a two-pronged strategy: immediate security measures to restore order, and coordinated humanitarian aid for the displaced."

"Agreed," Menon replied. "We've already requested reinforcements from the army, but it's not enough. We'll need to deploy more troops to the worst-hit areas, and fast. We can't allow these riots to spill into the major cities."

Rohan nodded. "But it's not just about security. These people need food, shelter, and medical care. The relief camps are overrun. We need to set up more camps, and they need to be well-stocked and organized."

Amar Singh, his eyes dark with fatigue, leaned forward. "We're working with local officials, but the situation is chaotic. We need international aid to step in. We simply don't have the resources to manage this crisis alone."

Rohan frowned. "Let's reach out to international organizations, but also make sure our own system is ready to handle the influx of aid. This is a national crisis, and we need a national response."

The conversation continued, intense and detailed.

There was no way to predict how long the violence would last, or how many more lives would be lost before it was over.

After this Rohan went for another meeting in the conference room where the Economic Advisory Council was already gathered.

The Partition had not just torn apart communities, it had also fractured India's already fragile economy.

The shortages were severe, and the disruption of trade routes was having a cascading effect on essential supplies.

The room was filled with maps and reports detailing the extent of the crisis.

Ramesh Gupta, a seasoned economist, stood next to a large map of India, pointing to regions where the impact of the Partition had been most acute.

"Prime Minister," Gupta began, his voice grave, "the situation is worse than we had anticipated. The Partition has severely disrupted supply chains that once flowed seamlessly through undivided India. Punjab was a critical agricultural centers, and now much of that production is lost to us."

He pointed to the border, where Punjab was split, and key agricultural lands had been ceded to Pakistan. "With the loss of Lahore and the surrounding agricultural belt, wheat production has plummeted. On top of that, Bengal's rice output is down significantly due to the violence and mass displacement. We're seeing food shortages across the board."

Amit Patel the Minister of Supply and Commerce, took over. "We've implemented rationing in the cities, but even that's not sustainable for long. We've set up emergency procurement channels, but they're slow to materialize. The broken trade routes mean we can't easily import goods from Lahore or Karachi anymore. The disruption of the Grand Trunk Road, which used to carry goods across northern India, has further compounded the issue."

Rohan leaned forward.

"What are the most critical shortages right now?" he asked, looking at the data in front of him.

Ramesh pointed to the charts. "Rice, wheat, textiles, and basic medicines. Bengal's rice production has dropped by almost 30%, and we've lost access to about 50% of Punjab's wheat. Textile mills, many of which were located in Lahore, are either destroyed or under Pakistani control, meaning we've lost significant production capacity."

Amit added, "And it's not just food. The partition of industrial centers like Karachi has left us without key infrastructure. The mills, factories, and even the ports that once facilitated easy trade are either out of our reach or operating at reduced capacity. We're running out of cotton, which is essential for textiles, and steel production is also lagging. The textile industry, particularly in Bombay and Ahmedabad, is struggling to keep up with demand."

Rohan's mind raced as he processed the information. "What options do we have for immediate relief?" he asked, his tone direct.

Ramesh took a deep breath. "We're in talks with Burma to secure rice imports, but the logistical challenges are enormous. We've also opened negotiations with the British government to import wheat and textiles. They've agreed in principle to support us, but their economy is still recovering from the war, so the quantities they can send are limited."

Amit nodded. "We've also reached out to the United States for aid. The U.S. has surplus grain, and there's potential for us to strike a deal under their aid programs. But this will take time, and we need to be careful about the terms. We can't afford to become too dependent on foreign aid."

Rohan frowned. "Time is not on our side. We need immediate action to prevent mass starvation in the most affected regions. What about boosting local production? Is there anything we can do quickly to ramp up output?"

Amit nodded "We've already begun distributing high-yield seeds in some of the areas still under our control, but it will take at least one season to see significant results. We're also working to repair some of the irrigation systems that were damaged during the partition. But it's slow going. In addition, the violence is preventing farmers from planting in many areas. It's a vicious cycle without security, we can't produce food, and without food, we'll see more unrest."

Rohan nodded grimly. "What about domestic industry? Are there any initiatives we can take to restart production, especially in textiles and steel?"

Ramesh glanced at his notes. "We've been working on restarting the textile mills in Bombay and Ahmedabad, but the shortage of cotton is a major issue. With many of the cotton fields now in Pakistan, we'll need to either ramp up production in other areas or import from abroad. We're exploring options to procure cotton from Egypt and the United States, but it will take time."

Amit added, "For steel production, we're facing a similar issue. With key factories in undivided Punjab now inaccessible, we're working on increasing production in areas like Rourkela and Bhilai, but it will require significant investment in infrastructure."

Rohan rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the decisions before him. "What about transportation? The railways have been disrupted, but are there any alternate routes we can use to get supplies where they're needed?"

Meera nodded. "We're in the process of repairing the major railway lines, but many are still non-operational. We've rerouted some supply chains through southern India, where the situation is more stable, but it's a temporary solution. The ports in Madras and Calcutta are still functioning, so we're using those to bring in whatever imports we can."

Rohan sighed, his mind racing. The situation was dire, but he knew that India had no choice but to press forward.

"Here's what we'll do," he said, his voice resolute. "We need to secure those deals with Burma and the British as quickly as possible. Send someone to expedite the negotiations with the United States for grain imports. As for local production, prioritize getting farmers back on their land security is key. We'll need to work with the military to secure the agricultural regions."

Ramesh and Amit nodded in agreement. Rohan continued, "I want immediate repairs on the railway lines that connect key production areas with the cities. Without functioning transportation, we can't distribute anything efficiently. And for textiles and steel, put together a proposal for how we can fast-track production. If we need to import raw materials for the short term, we'll do it."

"There's one more thing," Rohan said, his voice soft but firm. "We need to keep the public informed. People need to know that we're doing everything we can to solve this crisis. Transparency is critical to maintaining trust. If people think we're hiding the severity of the situation, the unrest will only grow."

Amit nodded. "I'll work with the Ministry of Information to ensure that we're regularly updating the public. But we need to be careful too much information could cause panic."

"We'll strike a balance," Rohan said. "But hiding the truth is not an option."

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