Ever since Muzuddin Ahmed shifted into the Burigaon camp at Darrang, he has dreamt of returning home. But Thursday’s serial blasts in Assam sounded the end of that dream.

Sixty-year-old Ahmed, a resident of Dhanshrikiti village in Udalguri district came to the camp with his family after he lost everything in the communal violence of October 3.

But now the state government, unwilling to take any chances, has cancelled all arrangements it had earlier made to send over a lakh refugees home.

Ahmed is one of the thousands of Muslim refugees stranded in relief camps after communal riots broke out in lower Assam districts of Darrang and Udalguri last month. Both Darrang and Udalguri are near Kokrajhar district where 21 people died in the Thursday blasts.

If there is a bond between the 1,866 residents—Muslims, Bodos and Bengalis—at this refugee camp at Burigaon High School, it is that of fear. “As we got to know of the bomb blasts, we all huddled together at one end of the camp. Our leaders frantically made calls from their cellphones, but could not get connected. There are rumours that we will be attacked,” said a tearful Ahmed.

“I was told we could go home soon. We were so happy. Though my house was burnt in the riots, this is the harvesting season and the paddy is ready. But now after the blasts I don’t know if we will ever be able to return to our village,” said Ahmed who owns 50 bighas.

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