NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Politics
India

Delhi Violence: Our Homes Are Now Detention Centres, Say Victims

Amid the atmosphere of fear, enormous polarisation is evident on the ground.
Sumedha Pal
08 Mar 2020
Delhi Riots and aftermath

The streets of Chandu Nagar in Northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura are rife with the smell of soot. Families who had been residing in the area have lost everything they owned with their houses. Many are flocking to their villages to seek refuge, while some are staying at the relief camps. Some of the displaced, on the other hand, are still struggling to find a shelter.

‘Homes are the new detention centres’

“Here, six families are living in one room. Can you even imagine? We owned a three-storey house in Chandu Nagar, which is now a pile of ashes,” said Shabnam pointing to the remains of the house.

This is the story of many such families who had been staying in parts of Chandu Nagar and Bhajanpura areas of Northeast Delhi belt—which witnessed communal violence last month.

Muslims—who were the most affected during the violence—are facing renewed ghettoisation, beginning with the inability to find a home.

“The rooms which used to cost approximately Rs 2,000 a month are now costing over Rs. 5000. With our homes and livelihoods destroyed, how do we afford so much rent?” questioned Arfa who had fled her home with her tw0-month-old daughter to their native village. She has returned 10 days later only to find out that nothing of their home has remained.

Amid the atmosphere of fear, enormous polarisation is evident on the ground. “The anti-CAA movement represented our protest against the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act, we were protesting against the very idea of detention centres where many of us could have ended up because of our religion. Now our homes and our streets are our detention centres with nothing left of our lives,” said Salma, who is a single mother and a health professional.

She added, “I had to jump over rooftops with my disabled son to save our lives. Beyond emergency relief, we want economic rehabilitation; we want our homes and our livelihoods back.”

‘Hindu landlords not letting us back in’

Not far away from Bhajanpura, in the heart of Maujpur market, traders and tenants are bearing the brunt of polarisation on the ground. After suffering huge economic losses, many shopkeepers are alleging that their Hindu landlords are not letting them back in, to the shops that they had rented.

Speaking to NewsClick, Aftaab* (name changed) said, “I ran a chemist shop here, which I had rented from a Hindu landlord. I am now being told to look for another shop because they won’t let me back in. I lost everything in the violence and now I will have to start over. I was hoping to start with whatever I had been left with, but the shop is no longer mine. I don’t know if I will be get a place in this market.”

Many tenants also had similar stories to share. Speaking to NewsClick, Rafi* (name changed) said, “Our source of livelihood is completely destroyed. The market has majority of Hindu shop owners and their shops remain untouched. The shops which we had rented are completely gutted and we are being turned away by the Hindu landlords. We have no place to go to and we do not want to face more exclusion than we are already facing.”

Also read: Invisible Women and Delhi Riots: Notes from a Relief Camp

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Delhi Violence
Northeast Delhi
BJP
Rehabilitation
Bhajanpura violence
Chandu Nagar
Delhi riots
CAA
NRC
NPR
Anti-CAA Protests
Related Stories
durgapur

In Durgapur Steel City, Workers Fight to Save Strategic Assets’ Sale Despite Attack on Unions

Daily25022021

Youth Demands Employment from the Government, COVID-19 Updates and more

Coronil

Health Authorities Silent as the Medical Community Fights Against Patanjali’s CORONIL

disha ravi bail.

Delhi Court’s Order on Disha Ravi’s Bail is Reminder that India’s Sedition Law Needs Revision

Urmilesh aaj ki baat feb 24

Disha Ravi's Judgement, A Mother's Courage and Farmers' Agitation Turning to Public Awareness Campaign

Puducherry Congress

Puducherry: How Congress Lost One More Government to BJP Ploy

fISHERMAN MAHA.

Maharashtra: Lockdown Scare Hurting Fishermen More Than Corona’s Return

Sikar24022021

Sikar Mahapanchayat: 'Govt Has Deceived Us at Every Turn'

Delhi riots 1 year

Delhi Riots: No Justice, a Year Later

Delhi Riots One Year

Delhi Riots: One Year Later, Injustice Continues

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Newsclick Report

Centre’s ‘Unilateral’ Decision to ‘Sell’ RINL Against Public Interest and Sentiment: EAS Sarma

27 February 2021
New Delhi: Expressing anguish as a citizen of Andhra Pradesh over the Centre’s “unilateral” decision to sell 100% equity in Vizag Steel Plant, form
Newsclick Production

Delhi Riots 2020: A Year Later, Return to Normalcy Still a Dream for Many

26 February 2021
One year has passed since communal riots shook North-east Delhi.
Ronak Chhabra

MCD Bypolls: Salary Delays in Mind, Civic Employees Pin Hope on Voters

26 February 2021
Roadshows led by political leaders have adorned the lanes of the national capital in the last few days to garner votes for their respective politic

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • Bharan bandh andhra

    Bharat Bandh: Traders, Merchants Shut Shops, Transport Workers Off Roads in Telangana and Andhra

  • CPI Leader.

    Veteran CPI Leader D Pandian Passes Away in Chennai

  • ENV

    CSE’s State of Environment Report: Inching Closer to Ecological Disasters

  • covid 19.

    COVID-19: India Records over 16,000 Fresh Infections for Second Consecutive Day

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about