Delhi was witness to massive anti-Hindu riots on Monday and Tuesday. But the first spell of violence in this particular sequence of events began a day earlier on Sunday. A clash also broke out between Pro-CAA and Anti-CAA groups in Maujpur near Jafrabad, leading to heavy stone-pelting and vandalism of public property. The previous day, that is Saturday, a group of over 500 Muslim women gathered near the Jafrabad Metro Station and blocked road No. 66, which connects Seelampur to Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar.
On Sunday, BJP leader Kapil Mishra demanded the removal of Anti-CAA protestors and clearance of the road within 3 days. He emphasized that they would not listen to anyone if the Anti-CAA rioters do not shift and clear the roads within the given time. While this incident was widely reported, another incident occurred around Malviya Nagar which has been largely ignored. Advocate Monika Arora tweeted about it which gained some traction.
In order to learn more about the events at that particular place, OpIndia got in touch with the residents of the area. The locals alleged that the anti-CAA groups started attacking them after a section of them tried approaching a temple and were stopped. A crowd of two thousand people entered the colony through Shivalik Colony and occupied the huge road stretching from one end to the F block of Malviya Nagar. The locals pointed out that there was no permission given to them.
While the police reacted swiftly and had enough personnel on the ground, the situation got volatile in Hauz Rani, which is next to Malviya Nagar and is a Muslim dominated area. The police had to resort to lathi-charge as there was an attempt to target local establishments. One local informed us that a teenage girl tried to shut a shop and was pushed away by other locals and reprimanded. The local, who remains in anonymity, mentioned that they had decided to sit in front of the Shiv temple, which is near the Gol Chakkar in Malviya Nagar.
We spoke to one of the members of the temple administration, who informed he was there during the incident, “We had just opened the temple and were cleaning it when a huge group of protesters came and sat down in front of the temple. Though they did not touch the temple as such, that is the same spot they chose to sit and block the road”.
When we further questioned them about the nature of slogans used, locals informed us, it was related to ‘Azadi’ and all of them were from the Muslim community. When asked whether there were more women or men, we were told that women and children were more than men in the crowd. They also confirmed that no Hindus were visible in the crowd.
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Most locals were unable to answer why the protesting crowd chose to sit in front of the temple. While some felt it was because the temple was near the Gol Chakkar or the roundabout, others felt that it was to send a message. Locals, however, said that all these people had come from outside and were not local Muslims in the vicinity. “There were many unrecognizable faces in the crowd,” said the temple employee.
While no violence broke out in this area fortuntely, the strange part is that the protesters did not find any other place to sit. There was a Gurudwara in the vicinity but they chose to sit outside the shiv temple. Moreover, if there was no local support, how did they manage to maneuver their way inside the colony? And why did they go in Hauz Rani, and let the situation go volatile? These questions perhaps hint at a larger design at hand.
Later, violence erupted in North East Delhi. The massive anarchy that was unleashed has resulted in great loss of life and property. A constable at the Intelligence Bureau and the head constable of Delhi Police have lost their lives. The death toll currently stands at 27.
