We are already aware of the riots haunting the national capital for the past few days now. Violence has taken over peace and brotherhood. People are scared that the rioters may reach their areas as well, and they might meet the same fate as that of the people living in North East Delhi.
Various videos and photographs are circulating on social media depicting the horror created by the goons.
How Did It All Start?
The clashes started on Monday evening after an altercation between anti-CAA protestors and pro-CAA-Protestors, who claim that these protests have troubled people to a great extent. They stated that they wanted the anti-CAA protestors to leave the roads and go back home.
A few days ago, a ruling party member had also stated that the Delhi Police had three days to get the roads vacated, if they fail to do so, they’ll do it themselves. And that is exactly what happened, goons with their foreheads marked by a saffron stripe, carrying sticks and a blue aluminium baseball bat entered Maujpur and nearby areas. They started beating up the protestors, and soon, there was a clash between the two sects.
What Has The Police Done?
A video doing rounds on social media depicted the scene where protestors lay on the ground, covered in blood and were allegedly forced by the police to sing the National Anthem. Another video recorded by a resident of Ashok Nagar showed a horrifying vandalisation of a mosque.
https://twitter.com/Shaheenbaghoff1/status/1232130822171435009?s=20
Later, residents of the place, both Hindus and Muslims were seen collecting the remains of Quran burnt by the perpetrators.
Casualties
According to the Press Trust of India, 20 people have been killed in the riots so far. Bullet wounds were reported to be the most common ones. There is no total count of injured people as some media houses have reported the numbers to be 150 while some claim that 250 people have been injured.
What’s The Current Situation?
Presently, the situation in the riot-affected areas is somehow under control as the curfew has been imposed, and the authorities have issued shoot-at-sight order. But the question remains: what is the guarantee that those goons will not attack other localities inhabited by the minorities?
The central government took a lot of time to control the situation. Why haven’t they deployed the Army in the areas yet? Water cannons were used to disperse protestors during Anti-CAA protests, but where were these cannons when the goons vandalised the Northeast area of Delhi?
One thing to be clarified here is that the Law and Order of Delhi fall under the ambit of the Home Ministry. They are responsible for maintaining peace in the region. However, it’s still unclear why the Army has not been sent to the affected areas yet, looking at the scenario that the Police have not controlled the escalating situation adequately.
A little moment of relief occurred when the news of some Dalit and Hindu people saving the Muslims from the mob came up. This somehow restored a little faith in humanity. But sadly, the number of sane people is very much less than the insane ones.
What’s At Stake?
Apart from the lives of people lost in the riots, a vast community is at risk. Muslims are definitely facing a threat, but Hindus, too, are at risk. The risk being talked about here is not that of life, but more of an image. I think what terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS did to Islam, these radical goons are trying to do to Hinduism. They are painting such an awful picture of a religion that the whole world has started to see India in a bad light.
This country follows secularism for a reason. We are a nation that believes in unity in diversity, and no single religion or community owns this country more. Each community completes the idea of India and claiming that certain religious groups should not be given first-class citizenship is just unacceptable.
The country is burning over CAA-NRC issue, a solution is needed and not the riots.