Delhi violence: Victims, families recount horrors; wait for bodies

Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in northeast Delhi’s Dilshad Garden remained busy and gloomy on Wednesday with injured continuing to stream in and families of victims waiting for bodies to be released after post-mortem, even as heavy police presence in affected areas helped reduce violence and arson.
There were several horrific cases, including a patient who came with a drill pierced in his head and the body of a man with five gun shot wounds and several cuts on his face and neck, hospital officials said.

So far 27 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in communal violence that started on Monday. Most of the deceased and injured are Muslims. At LNJP hospital near Delhi Gate, where two riot deaths have been reported so far, families of the injured complained of delays in the tests and the use of acid-like substances during the attacks.

Out of the 22 dead at GTB hospital, five persons were brought in on Wednesday and the rest on Tuesday, medical superintendent Sunil Kumar said. “A patient in his twenties was brought in with a drill pierced into his head,” he said. “It was successfully removed. He is conscious and talking.”

Salim, who was waiting for the body of his 24-year-old nephew Ishraq Hassan at the mortuary, said Hassan was shot five times on his chest and abdomen besides several sword cuts on his face and neck at Old Mustafabad on Tuesday evening.

Abdul Samad, 21, was also attacked in a mosque at Mustafabad on Tuesday evening, but he survived. “A mob barged into the mosque and hit everyone with rods. I was badly beaten and I fainted. I was brought to the GTB hospital at 10 am.” He was treated for an injury to his left eye and was later discharged. “But I cannot go back home, because the police at Mustafabad are not letting anyone enter,” Samad said.

Many people complained of police inaction. Mohammed Sahil, whose father was shot outside his home at North Ghonda on Tuesday night, said the police refused to help. “I had called the helpline numbers of the ambulance and the police several times, but I could not get through to them,” he said. “The police arrived in the area only at 2.30 am. I had to bring my father to the GTB hospital in a scooty. He died here during the night.”



Shakruddin, 64, who has lost his son Furkan, 30, alleged “police didn’t let us pick him up” after his elder son Imran had received a call that Furkan was shot in his leg and stomach and was hit with rods in Monday’s violence. “He was lying at the spot for half an hour. Only after he was beaten with rods by the mob that some boys were allowed to take him away,” Shakruddin said.

He also said Furkan’s body was brought to GTB hospital’s mortuary on Monday afternoon, but authorities are yet to give the body back.

Others waiting for their loved ones’ bodies since Monday include Rohit Solanki, whose brother Rahul was shot dead on his way to buy milk at Shiv Vihar, and Monu who lost his father. Monu and his father were riding on a motorcycle to buy medicines for Monu’s son when they were attacked by a mob. Monu was hit on face with stone and received 35 stitches. His father was beaten with rods and later died.

At the LNJP Hospital, which has around 28 patients injured in riots at Chandbagh, Karawal Nagar and Mustafabad, many bystanders complained of delays in test reports. Two families talked about attacks with ‘acidlike’ substance on Tuesday night.

Majid Ali, 28, who had rushed here with his badly injured brother Maroof Ali around midnight on Tuesday, has lost his brother and was waiting for the body to be given after post-mortem.

Ali, who lives with his family at Subhash Mohalla in Seelampur, said electricity was cut off around 10 pm on Tuesday, and soon after around 50 men, many of whom were dressed like police, came knocking on their door. “They fired as soon as my brother opened the door… The Hindu neighbours came out to see what was happening but once firing started they rushed inside.” Ali said many of their neighbourhoods have been “full of people from other states” in the last few days. “I couldn’t recognise anyone who attacked us last night.”

Kishore Singh, medical director of LNJP hospital, was not in his office for several hours on Wednesday. His office told people that “Singh had gone for some annual day and that they should get permission from the government to stand near his office”.

Some people alleged there was bullet firing by unknown people immediately after the police used tear gas on women protesters at a Jaffarabad sit-in protest, critically injured at least six of them.

One Shameen Khan said his father was attacked by a black liquid, which burnt his face, when he came out of the generator room of Medina Masjid in Shiv Vihar after hiding there all night. “We are waiting for the reports.” Khan said two shops owned by his family have been torched.