Team of 31 scrambles to provide relief in Delhi: ‘Our aim is to restore normalcy’

Mohsin (30), who had left her home in Sonia Vihar Saturday, said she had no time to pack her clothes and other belongings while escaping from the mob. She was sitting with her two daughters as volunteers brought them clothes and toiletries.

Suhail (20), a volunteer of Delhi government’s Civil Defence, picked up cartons of utensils and clothes from a truck and checked them with the police.

He said, “People give food, clothes, mattresses, and many other things. We have to check everything before it reaches the members here.” Suhail helped elderly men fill out their entry and compensation forms while he fed a six-year-old child bread and milk.

Suhail lives in Sonia Vihar and said he has not seen his parents for two days.

“I return home late. By then my parents are asleep. During the day I get texts from my father about the tense situation in the area. I want to help them too but these people need us. There are people who have lost their mothers and don’t have homes. Some people have not had proper food in days. I can’t leave them,” he said.

At 4 pm, the volunteers brought biscuits, tea and snacks for the people at the facility.

As a group of four girls fought over biscuits, Yogita, also a Civil Defence volunteer, intervened and brought more food for the children.

Yogita and three other volunteers have taken care of over 60 women by themselves. She said, “I have never seen riots like these. Two days ago, we tried to distribute food near Karawal Nagar. There were locals who kept questioning us. It was a bit scary. A lot of women don’t have extra pair of clothes — we first give them clean clothes and food. We also give them their prescribed medicines and see to it that they follow the routine.”

Yogita has made a list of things to be distributed to the members and handed it over to senior members.

The volunteers also cleaned the floor and toilets with help from a few workers. They had supplied aid to locals in the Northeast district earlier and have recently shifted to the relief camp.