It was past noon on Sunday and there was an uneasiness in the air on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Residents of Nobelnagar, an otherwise nondescript locality in Naroda, eastern Ahmedabad, were waiting for Devang Raval's body to return from Uganda.
Devang, 25, was killed in downtown Kampala, when a peaceful demonstration turned into a riot over the proposed giveaway of Mabira forest to an Indian-run sugar plant for sugarcane plantation. He had been living in Uganda for two years.
Just a week back, Devang had called his father and promised to come home around mid-May. He did come home earlier, but in a coffin.
For most Gujaratis, Uganda is a distant country, but not an unknown one. Many of them, who have returned from Uganda, have formed a Uganda Society in Ahmedabad; a road in Porbandar has also been named after the African nation.
There is a lot that still touches the hearts of many in Gujarat when it comes to Uganda but it seems that with Devang's tragic death, their deep-rooted links with that country are in danger of turning sour.
Reportage: Himanshu Kikani
Image : Devang Raval, who was killed in Kampala
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