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"Main jab mar jaun to meri alag se pehchan likh dena,mere lahu se meri peshani pr Hindustan likh dena(After I die,write my identity differently,with blood,write India on my forehead)”- msg on wall in Brijpuri. It's faded.

A year on,we revisit where #DelhiRiots broke out.

Feb 2020 Vs Feb 2021
While the hustle and bustle of the area has returned in severely hit Shiv Vihar, some cracks in the walls, a black smoke patch on the door, a few burnt utensils and a pile of photographs remind the victims of the days and nights they lived in “terror”.
Khushnaz’s daughter Alfiza was six days old on February 25 when the riots broke out near her house. She recalled pressing her palm against the infant’s mouth to prevent her voice from being heard as she cried.
Shawra Begum’s single-storey residence near Medina Masjid has still not been repaired. Looking at the broken and burnt taps of her washroom, Shawra said, “That time reminds me of death.”
Sitting inside his house near Auliya Masjid, Nizamuddin had tears in his eyes thinking about the time. Over 5,000 men were walking and running amok on the streets destroying everything and everyone, he said.
For Vineeta Kumar, 28, the most traumatic memory is the six days spent frantically looking for her 10-year-old daughter Radhika, who got lost in the middle of everyone scampering for cover when the houses were being burnt.
For Rajni, riots meant calling off son’s arranged wedding. He was to get married in mid-2020 but when riots broke out,mob looted wedding jewellery from their house. “We needed time to recover and postponed the wedding but girl’s family didn’t agree".
He got married this Feb 16.
The riots separated an old couple – Naresh Chand, 65, and Munni Devi, 63, – from their married son. His wife is too scared to come back to Shiv Vihar. They have also lost their livelihood, a small confectionery on the ground floor of their double-storey residence.
How is the relationship between the two communities now that a year has elapsed? “It’s not like the same as before”, was a unanimous response from both Hindus and Muslims.
Every person The Hindu spoke to claimed that they have not received any compensation for their losses. Moreover, they said they have little idea about the status of the FIRs they had filed.
Pictures by @ShivKumarPushp1
Link to story in today's @the_hindu https://t.co/B86hOCqMrY
Idgah.
Which had become a relief camp for thousands of riot victims Vs what it looks like now.

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