NEW DELHI: New idols were installed on Tuesday at a temple in Hauz Qazi that was vandalised by some persons earlier this month, leading to communal tension in the Old Delhi area.
A puja was performed at the Durga temple, after which the idols were carried in a procession through Lal Kuan Bazaar road, which was awash with saffron banners saying “Jai Shri Ram.”
Hundreds of people took part in the procession, mostly outsiders and members of Hindu groups, besides some locals, with cries of “Jai Shri Ram” ringing in the air.
There was a welcome sign of communal amity as Muslim men from the Aman Committee served food during a ‘bhoj’ organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on the occasion. However, a VHP leader struck a jarring note with an aggressive speech.
“I warn the police, even if you spare those who vandalised the temple, we won’t.
We have the CCTV footage. They have been blacklisted,” said VHP Joint General Secretary Surender Jain.
“When a Muslim is killed, everybody comes forward (to express grief) and to talk about brotherhood. Nobody has anything to say when attacks are carried out against Hindus,” he said.
“If you worsen the atmosphere here, we will turn Hauz Qazi into Ayodhya,” he added in an apparent warning to Muslims, who form the majority of the locals.
Reacting to the speech, local Hanif Ahmad, 70, said: “We are living in brotherhood and want the temple ‘sthapna’ to be done peacefully. Those who vandalised the temple were demons and those who are giving hate speeches are demons.”
Shamim Ahmad, an Aman Committee member who took part in the ‘bhoj’ said Hindus and Muslims in the area lived like brothers, so he had participated in the Hindu ceremony. “We want peace. Those who came from outside wanted to instigate people, have got an answer. Still, what he (Jain) is saying hurts.”
Seven priests had come from Dilshad Garden for the ceremony. One of them said they were not aware of the controversy.
“We were invited for the restoration of the temple. After the procession, we will do a havan and then the temple will be restored,” he said. On June 30, a dispute between two men over parking took a communal turn after the temple was vandalised by some youths. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in large numbers in the area ever since. On Tuesday, about 2,000 police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel were deployed, DCP Mandeep Singh Randhawa said.