Road close to where IB man’s body found is the most guarded
NEWDELHI: Of all the roads and all the bylanes in north-east Delhi, where 38 people died in the riots, the one-km Karawal main road in Chand Bagh close to where Intelligence Bureau (IB) Ankit Sharma’s body was found could be the most guarded.
Police on the ground admit it is the most volatile stretch and that ensuring there is not a single case of violence or arson here is a top priority.
Armed personnel of the Delhi police and the paramilitary forces stand guard outside a yellowcoloured four-storey-building of Nehru Vihar AAP councillor Mohaamed Tahir Hussain that has become the centre of focus.
The residents are divided on who plotted the murder. In the lanes outside Hussain’s house, locals are not allowed to gather on the road by security personnel who direct them to stay off the main road and contained in the bylanes.
“This place is volatile for many reasons. The junior IB officer’s body was found on the same road about 200m away from Hussain’s house. The scenes were horrifying. The media is also focusing on the murder so this place has become a tinderbox. Our men are on the ground round the clock to ensure that it does not burn,” a police officer at the spot said.
Using handcarts, cycle rickshaws and Delhi police barricades, most resident of the bylanes have locked themselves in. Every shop is closed. The residents on the main road watch curiously every activity from their terraces. The windowpanes of the houses are damaged, the wall of many buildings have blackened with soot, that shows remains of what happened in those last 48 hours.
“The Delhi police have told us not to gather on the main road. But some of us have also voluntarily closed the gates. We are doing this so that outsiders do not come and set our homes on fire. On Monday and Tuesday, we saw new faces in our colony. Many of the rioters were from outside,” said Azhar,26, who lives in one of the lanes.
On Thursday, the Delhi Police top brass conducted flag marches in the bylanes of this stretch.
Special Commissioner of Police (law and order) SN Shrivastava, who was brought back to Delhi to contain the riots, was at the spot during the day with the other senior police officers. The top cops spoke to locals urging them to maintain peace and not fear.
Chand Bagh also witnessed heavy violence on Monday and Tuesday. Near Hussain’s house, the rioters burnt at least 40 new and old motorcycles outside a motorcycle showroom. About 50m away from the showroom, the rioters brought together five autorickshaws in the middle of the road and set it on fire. “Monday and Tuesday were two black days in the colony and in our lives. Chand Bagh must be the worst affected,” a resident said.