Video Producer: Srishti Tyagi
Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam
“Tell us what is our crime? Why were our houses vandalised? Why were our children left to suffocate and die?”
Gulshan’s home was one of the four houses near the Ashok Nagar mosque that was vandalised and set on fire by a mob on Tuesday, 25 February, as communal violence rocked the national capital for the third consecutive day.
In the Hindu-dominated Ashok Nagar, a mosque in Gali No 5 was vandalised on Tuesday, the video of which has gone viral. A saffron flag and a tricolour were placed near the dome.
While the flags still flutter atop the mosque, eyewitnesses recalled how the mob had also attacked the adjacent shops and houses and looted expensive items from there.
Gulshan showed around her house which remains in ruins. She laments, “How are we going to make ends meet now? It is better I poison my children and myself and die.”
Danish, who owned a godown of shoes adjacent to the mosque, recalled how the mob had gathered in their area at around 11-11.30 am chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans. “The police was informed but they only visited the spot for a brief period. After the cops left, the mob came back and entered our houses. They vandalised the mosque too.”
Danish said, “There were kids who were getting suffocated due to the fire. We rescued them through terraces. We all stayed over at our relatives’ places last night.”
The only man who is said to have confronted the mosque and appealed for peace was 64-year-old Jitender Kumar. “ I confronted the mob, appealed them to not create a ruckus. They were all outsiders. They were raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans. I requested them to not harm our neighbours who have been living here for long.”
Jitender said it was “unfortunate” to witness the mob vandalise the mosque.
I could not succeed in stopping them. They threw stones at my house too.”
The Muslim residents in the locality said although “looking at the saffron flag with Jai Shri Ram written on it atop the mosque makes them feel uncomfortable”, they have been asked by organisers of the Jaffrabad protest to not act and maintain calm.
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