The Lal Kuan area in the Walled City appears to be limping towards normalcy. Elders from both the communities held detailed deliberations under the umbrella of Aman Committee and agreed to open shops and business establishments on Wednesday. Delhi Police top brass too was busy in talking to the locals to restore normalcy in the area where tension was palpable after a mob of over 500 people had vandalised Durga temple.
With hectic parleys being held and people reaching out to each other, market of Hauz Qazi, opened on Wednesday under strong posse of armed police personnel Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) who are stationed in and around to avoid any untoward incident in the area.
Locals on Wednesday offered prayers at the Durga temple. People sang ‘aartis’ and worshipped at the temple during early hours of the day. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday summoned Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patanik regarding the communal clashes.
Briefing the media after the meeting Patnaik said, “It was a general briefing about the Hauz Qazi incident and how the situation is. The situation is well under control now.”
He said four persons had been arrested and action would be taken against all involved. “We have the CCTV footage. These are a group of criminals... we are analysing the footage and all those involved will face action,” said CP.
Four people have been arrested while police have detained other five for questioning in connection with the communal clashes that vitiated densely populated Lal Kuan and is adjoining areas. Police has also registered three FIRs in this case - two cross FIRs, one lodged by each community, and one for vandalising the temple.
Further even a minor boy who was missing since the incident was also traced and handed over to the family on Tuesday night, said a senior police official.
However, targeting the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Vijay Goel said following the attack on Mata Durga temple in Chandni Chowk, while he was touring Lal Kua area, the local people informed him that it was Delhi Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Imran Hussain who deliberately gave communal colour to a parking fight.
Goel said the involvement of Imran in the attack on temple raises several questions as Delhi Chief Minister has also chosen to remain silent on the entire episode
Refuting to Goel’s claim, Hussain filed a police complaint against Goel, MS Sirsa and a news website for levelling false allegations against him in Hauz Qazi incident. In the complaint he also alleged that after a tweet by Sirsa, AAP MP Sanjay Singh received a threatening call.
Just after the incident, a video of a temple priest also went viral, in which the man stated that a few intoxicated Muslim men had gathered under their house. “As people around the temple stopped them, they brought in more than 300-400 men to attack. Hussain came and supported the Muslim mob but no one came to help us,” the man said in the video.
On Monday, tension prevailed in the highly sensitive Walled City area after clashes erupted between two groups belonging to different communities over parking issues.
It soon took an ugly turn after rumours spread that a youth from a particular community has been lynched by a mob. Enraged over this, a mob vandalised a Shiva Temple in the Lal Kuan area after raising inflammatory religious slogans.