Squabble over parking takes communal colour in old Delhi’s Hauz Qazi, major clash avoided

A minor altercation between two men over the parking of a motorcycle late on Sunday night soon took a communal colour at Lal Kuan bazaar under Hauz Qazi police station.

Although the police intervened quickly and managed to not let the situation blow up into a full-fledged communal conflagration or to spread to other areas in the walled city that has mostly mixed population, tension gripped the area on Monday as groups from both the communities gathered at different places and raised religious slogans.

One community accused the other of ransacking a small mandir while the latter claimed that the clash erupted after some people from the other community thrashed a boy and fractured his hand.

Deputy Commissioner of Police M.S. Randhawa told National Herald that the police had been trying to contain the situation since the last night itself. He said police arrangements had been put in place to ensure that no further clash takes place.

"We are trying our best to control the situation. That's all I have to say right now. We appeal to the people of both the communities to observe restraint and let police do their job," he said.

Randhawa said that proper legal action would be taken against the culprits.

“Our first priority right now is to normalise the situation. Once things cool down, we will take all necessary action against those involved,” he added.

The imams (prayer leaders) of the mosques at Lal Kuan and the community elders appealed to the youth on masjid loudspeakers to disperse and maintain peace. Local MLA and Delhi government minister Imran Hussain too tried to persuade the people in the area to maintain peace. He was, however, stopped from going across to the other side of the divide by a few senior police officials who sensed trouble.

Meanwhile, sloganeering continued throughout the day from both sides.

Every time the crowds receded, a few mischief mongers on both sides would raise religious slogan and the efforts to defuse the situation would be brought to a nought.

Interestingly, a few people on either side blamed the police for its alleged “inaction” and for being partisan.

The anger on both sides seemed to wane towards the evening as the sweltering heat and soaring tension started taking their toll on the nerves of the crowds, but the situation was again flared up as a group of Bajrang Dal activists appeared from nowhere and incited the locals to not become “cowards” and avenge the “insult” heaped upon them.

They also raised provocative slogans against the other community.

A local named Bittu, who has some influence in both the communities, tried to reason with the instigators, but he was accused of being a coward and told to shut up by the Bajrang Dal activists.

Speaking with NH, Bajrang Dal activist Sunita Singh alleged that the police were not taking any action against the people of the other community who, she said, were the aggressors.

She also asked the locals living near the mandir, located inside a narrow lane, to not reinstall the idols "just like that".

"The whole Bajrang Dal organisation is with you. How could they attack our gods and we let it go," she told the local families.

"What would have happened if 'their' place of worship had been desecrated or their sisters and mothers (behen-beti) were attacked like ours were," she said.

Singh said that she had come from Mayur Vihar along with two of her women colleagues and a few men “for the sake of Hinduism” after hearing of the incident.

Later, the activists were detained by the police and taken away in police cars.

The trouble had started on Sunday night around 10.30 pm when a teenager Aas Mohammed parked his bike outside Gali Chabuk Sawar. To this, Sanjiv who sells chow mein there, objected and told the boy to remove his bike. An argument ensued between the two and they came to blows. A few men sitting across the road joined in and badly thrashed Aas Mohammed, whose hand was fractured. The assaulters are said to be drunk at that time.

The incident soon took a communal colour when a rumour spread on WhatsApp that the boy had beenforced to chant ‘jai shri Ram’ by the assaulters. Soon the crowds gathered and a clash erupted.

The stonepelters also allegedly targeted Sanjiv’s house that is located right at the corner of Gali Chabuk Sawar. His wife Babita, who claimed to have been slightly injured in the attack, said all they wanted was their safety.

Mohammed Yasir, a local drug store owner who lives close by the gali where the incident happened, told NH: “It was an altercation between two individuals but unfortunately has been given a communal colour. I would say people from our side too were in the wrong. You cannot justify attacking a place of worship if persons from that community thrashed you. It was between men and men, not men and religion.”

However, not many on the street on Monday were ready to listen to any sane voice as both sides felt they were the victim.

Former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf, who represented the Ballimaran Assembly segment for four consecutive terms since 1993, condemned the incident and said that what has happened was against the true culture of the area as both the communities have peacefully lived together for very long time.

Yusuf also blamed the local MLA Imran Hussain for the turn of events, saying that it was a result of anti-social elements being encouraged and patronised by the local leaders for their political gains.

“In the 20 years that I was the MLA, I ensured that anti-social elements in the area are not encouraged. But now the opposite is happening,” Yusuf said.

He said he was in touch with police officials as well as the local people of both the communities to bring down the tensions.

The area had not witnessed a communal incident since the the late 1980s when the Ayodhya movement was at its peak.