No money to pay rent or buy books, Central School admission is still hanging; Malin Sarma's daughter a year after his death

His body was lying on the road, it was blood all around him, he died on the spot. All we know is that he met with an accident at around 11:45 PM on July 28, exactly a year ago, and lost his life. The incident took place near the Fire Brigade office in Tarapur, just next to India Club – often referred to as the “heart of the town”. What crushed him? Was it a dump truck or some other vehicle, who is the owner, who is the driver, where are they now? There are many questions but we know only one thing that we know nothing!

Journalist Malin Sarma was a very popular man in the socio-cultural fraternity. Dance performance, drama, or political rally, anywhere in the district or even outside, Malin Sarma was there holding the giant camera on his shoulder. He was in team BTN, still the most-watched cable channel in Barak Valley. His popularity turned to outrage after his death, protests broke on the streets, demonstrations were staged at the deputy commissioner’s office and the superintendent of Police was heavily criticised.

That protest was mostly led by the women in Silchar and videos of the demonstrations streamed live on social media were shared by hundreds and hundreds of netizens. But as is the case with most social media outrages, this faded off to oblivion in no time. Those who knew Malin Sarma, knew it that there is nothing more important to him than his daughter. How many of the protestors who outraged a day after his death actually asked about his daughter’s well-being in the last 356 days? “Hardly anyone,” replies class VIII student, Meenakshi Sarma.

A couple of months after Malin Sarma’s death, Meenakshi lost her maternal uncle the only male guardian in a traumatised family. “We are now a family of three ladies, me, my mother, and my grandmother who is still reeling from the grief of losing her son-in-law and son in a span of 90 days,” informs. Meenakshi. “Life has become very challenging since then,” she asserts.

Meenakshi studies in a private school. Malin Sarma wanted his daughter to garner education from a school affiliated under the Central Board of Secondary Education and enrolled her at the best one available. “We don’t have money to pay tuition fees or transportation charges. The school has cooperated so far but they are also running out of patience now. I could not afford the books either. Teachers are helping me in the mock test but I have no clue how I will prepare for the annual examination,” says Meenakshi.

The then deputy commissioner, Laya Madduri had given a recommendation to the Kendriya Vidyalaya to enroll Meenakshi in one of the KVs. However, that has hit a roadblock after Madduri got transferred and was replaced by Barnali Sharma. The Kendriya Vidyalaya administration, according to Meenakshi, said that they need a fresh recommendation from the new DC, Barnali Sharma. Before they could get a recommendation from Sharma, she was transferred and the ball now in the new DC – Keerthi Jalli’s court.

“As it looks now, my further studies depend on my enrolment in KV and unless that happens I might have to give up,” opines Meenakshi.

The family had got some money as compensation from the administration and other political leaders but a lion share of that was kept in the bank as fixed deposits on Meenakshi’s name, “We can only withdraw them after I turn 18-years-old. We stay in a rented apartment and were are unable to pay the monthly rent. The landlord cooperated with us but it is just a matter of time before we are asked to vacate,” she states. “Moreover, my mother has a constant irritation in her head and unwell most of the time. Overall, we are in a crisis and have been in one since the death of my father,” Meenakshi adds.

Malin Sarma is not the only victim of a road mishap or hit and run case, there are thousands who die in similar incidences. The vehicle and its driver remain untraced for a lifetime and the family gets ruined. Malin Sarma’s family is headed in that direction.