Old Garhi Mendu’s residents return to homes that are now empty shells
NEW DELHI: Mohammad Shafi, 67, sat outside his burnt house in Old Garhi Mendu village in northeast Delhi’s Ghonda. He was overseeing repair work that has just started on the ground floor, which used to house his welding workshop. Rioters had set the house ablaze during riots in the area more than a week ago, leaving Shafi with nothing. Even the wires that connected the machines had become indistinguishable from the remains of what was once his home.
His is among the few families that have returned to the Gujjardominated village after spending days at a relief camp set up in Shriram Colony, right across Wazirabad road in Khajuri Khas. At least 42 Muslim families had to flee the village after communal violence in the area. So far, 53 people have been reported dead, while over 400 were injured in the violence that hit parts of northeast Delhi.
“My son and I came back on Friday to get repairs done so that we can first set up the shop and resume the business. All our cash and valuables were lost in the fire. My daughter-in-law and children are still staying at a relative’s house,” Shafi said.
Some families have come back from the camp to rebuild their houses and shops while many have stayed away either out of fear, or because they simply do not have the resources to rebuild their houses. Some have begun renting houses in nearby areas.
Two houses away from Shafi’s, Shehzad Ali’s family of six moved out of the community centre two days ago to get their house repaired, ahead of their daughter’s wedding scheduled to take place three months later. The family spends the day here overlooking the work, and goes to a relative’s place in the evening.
“It was just not liveable at the camp. The toilets are too dirty and the mattresses and bed linen smell. Men could still stay there but it’s just not appropriate for women. Also, we had to come back to ready the house for our daughter’s wedding. The house is completely burnt and nothing remains of the belongings. Initially, we were scared to come back, but we had no option,” said Ali, 45, who used to run a plastic-sheet shop next to his house that was also burnt down.
Violence raged for two days in Old Garhi Mendu village, as per accounts from multiple residents and local police officers. According to locals, neither the police nor the city administration knew about the riots in the village until victims started moving to Shriram Colony for shelter, after which the camp was opened.
On February 25, the second day of the violence, Zeenat, 27, fled the village with her four children. She was relieved when she came back on Friday to find that her house, a rented accommodation, was intact and the belongings still in place. “I am just thankful that I returned home to find all my things here,” said Zeenat, who works at a nearby factory.
Khadija, 40, and her husband, along with five children too came back from the camp on Friday. Rioters did not spare their house. They are now living in one-room rented flat in the same building as Zeenat’s. “So far the landlord has not negotiated the rent. He just let us stay. We will see how much time it takes us to rebuild the house,” said Khadija, who works at a factory. Her husband is a daily-wage labourer.
Many displaced families at the camp at Shriram Colony, as well as the one set up at an eidgah in Mustafabad are seeking police help to go back to check on their homes. They are too scared to venture back alone.