A relationship of peace and harmony is how the residents of riot-hit Jahangirpuri described their bond with each other ever since they started living there more than two decades back.
“Things have never been hostile here among the Hindu and Muslim communities… even in the Muslim majority blocks, there are a handful of Hindu families living next door as well but we have always had an amicable relationship and even small scuffles don’t take place here,” said Aakib, a resident. While the area’s C-Block is mostly Muslim-dominated, the H and G-Blocks largely consist of Hindus.
Residents told The Hindu that Saturday’s clashes, when members of both the communities allegedly turned violent and resorted to stone pelting during a “Shobha Yatra’ being carried out to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti, seemed to be a “spur-of-the-moment” incident and an aberration from the years-long brotherhood both the communities have enjoyed.
