Delhi protests: death toll climbs amid worst religious violence for decades

The death toll from the worst religious violence in
Delhi in decades has risen to 21, as Muslims fled from their homes and several
mosques in the capital smouldered after being attacked by Hindu mobs.
The deathly clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups
that began on Sunday showed no sign of abating on the third consecutive day,
with reports of early morning looting on some Muslim homes which had been
abandoned out of fear.
More than 200 people were admitted to hospitals for
injuries which ranged from gunshot wounds, to acid burns, stabbings and wounds
from beatings and stone pelting. Several of those who died had jumped from high
buildings to escape the attacking mobs.
On Wednesday, an intelligence bureau officer was
declared among the dead in the clashes, after his body was found in a drain in
the Chand Bagh area. It followed the death of a police officer on Monday after
he was hit in the head with a stone.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal described the
situation as “alarming” and said the army should be called to take control of
the violence.
“Situation alarming,” he said in a “tweet. “Police,
despite all its efforts, unable to control situation and instil confidence Army
should be called in and curfew imposed in rest of affected areas immediately.”
On Tuesday afternoon, a violent Hindu mob of around
500 young men descended on to a mosque in Ashok Nagar, broke down the doors and
climbed the minaret to fly the Saffron flag, the official flag of Hinduism.
They then set the mosque alight. Later in the evening, another smaller mosque
and Muslim shops in the local market were burned.
A local Muslim, who asked not to be named out of
fear for his safety, described how the mob had set about destroying the mosque
for over three hours, shouting Hindu nationalist slogans as they went. “They
came in the afternoon and burned everything inside and then they looted and
burned the shop inside the mosque and then two Muslim houses next door,” he
told the Guardian.
“I do not even know what to say. In 35 years I have
never seen a situation like this, Hindus and Muslims always lived peacefully
here. We all celebrated Eid and Diwali together. Hindu women often came into
the mosque with their children, so this was not just a building for Muslims but
for the whole community. But whatever peace we had is now gone.”
The attacks on Muslim properties continued on
Wednesday morning. However, some local Hindus were patrolling the area to
protect the mosque and offered to shelter Muslim families to keep them safe.
The riots have continued to spread across northwest
Delhi, with Jafrabad, Babarpur, Brahmpuri, Gorakh Park, Maujpur, Bhajanpura,
Kabir Nagar, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Karawal Nagar, Khajuri Khas and Kardampuri
all affected. Heavy deployment of Delhi police and paramilitary forces were
visible in some of the worst hit areas on Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his
silence on the violence, appealing for “peace and brotherhood”.
“Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing
in various parts of Delhi,” tweeted Modi “Police and other agencies are working
on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy.”
It was one of the bloodiest days of protest in India
since Modi’s government passed a new citizenship amendment act, which grants
citizenship for refugees of every major South Asian religion except Muslims, in
December.
The law sparked a nationwide backlash over fears the
law is discriminatory towards Muslims and will undermine the secular
foundations of India by making religion the basis of citizenship, and
demonstrations have continued across India for the past three months.
The violence in Delhi was sparked after Kapil
Mishra, leader from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), incited a Hindu
mob to violently remove a group of Muslims who were blocking a road in
north-west Delhi in protest against the citizenship act. Groups on both sides
began throwing stones and attacking each other, prompting an escalation of
violence.
A legal order that prevents gatherings of more than
four people, has been imposed across north-west Delhi. Police deployed tear gas
but the measures failed to contain the mobs.