NEW DELHI: A day after most Muslim families had fled west Delhi’s Basai Darapur village after the issuance of a diktat against the community by a Hindu fringe group, some of them returned after receiving assurance from the police but said they were still living in fear.
Irfan Salami, a Muslim property dealer, said he had “never experienced this kind of animosity” during his stay in the Tyagi-dominated village for last four decades.
“We (Tyagis and Muslims) have never had really good relations. I left my house with my family fearing that the Mahasabha would turn violent. We have come back but are still living in a lot of fear,” he told this newspaper.
Tension gripped the area after the murder of 51-year-old businessman Dhruv Tyagi.
A police officer said that the protection of the community was being taken care of, with some policemen visiting the area on Friday and giving them assurance.
Minority Commission Chairman Zafarul-Islam-Khan, however, said, that an inquiry was initiated in the matter but no protection was sought for the Muslims.
“I am unable to understand the reality of this case. How can a man murder a stranger over such a petty issue?” he said, hinting that the reports may have been manipulated.
The initial inquiry by the commission, he said, has revealed that “this is not as simple as it is being reported in the media”.
“(For the protection of Muslims living in fear,) we will do the needful. We haven’t received any complaints. Once we are able to understand the whole matter, we will seek protection for these people from the police,” he said.
Jama Masjid Imam Ahmad Bukhari said that he would speak with the police chief on Saturday regarding the matter. “There should be attempts for conciliation between the groups. It is unnecessarily being given a communal colour. It was a Muslim, who had saved them (rushed them to the hospital),” Bukhari said.
The Hindu group on Thursday staged a protest demanding that a ban be imposed on the minority community staying in various villages across the national capital.
Raising slogans, the protests brought traffic to a halt on the main in the Modi Nagar area.
Hundreds of members of Akhil Bhartiya Brahmashri Mahasangh organised the protest with support from members of the Tyagi Samaj, who arrived at the national capital from various parts of northern India, including Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.