Delhi violence: Many residents trapped in riots rescued, leave for relatives' homes

Protestors hurl brick-bats during clashes between a group of anti-CAA protestors and supporters of the new citizenship act, at Jafrabad in north-east Delhi on Feb 24, 2020 (PTI)

Many residents of northeast Delhi, who had been trapped in their homes as violence raged outside for two days, were rescued on Wednesday with the help of police and locals. Among those rescued were a sexagenarian resident of Mustafabad, Nawab.

As police personnel reached out to him, a teary-eyed Nawab Malik, who had been confined to home for two days along with his wife, said, "I have never witnessed such a violence in many decades."

"I have been living in Delhi for 30 years but never witnessed such violence," he said as he prepared to leave for a relative's house in Ghaziabad for shelter.

About 15 families were rescued by locals and police from Govind Vihar.

"A team went to rescue them after we received information about them and brought them out safely without any harm," said a police officer.

Salim, 22, said his family had been trapped since the riots erupted two days ago.

"The mobs gathered outside our house, after which our neighbours Pankaj, Vikas and Chintu Bhai took us to their homes. They also contacted police after which we were rescued," Salim said, highlighting a rare harmony and brotherhood among neighbours at a time the areas witnessed communal strife.

His cousin Karim, a barber, said, "The people in our street helped us. They supported us or else we would have been killed."

Salim said the family would go to live with their relatives at Khajoori and Sundernagari till the situation became normal.

"Our biggest problem is how to survive without any work. My family members used to do odd jobs to earn livelihood but we have no idea when will we come back," he said.

The communal violence that started with stone pelting between pro- and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) groups in the Jaffrabad area on Sunday afternoon, has so far claimed 24 lives and left over 200 injured.