Two groups belonging to different castes clashed at Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tilla on Thursday afternoon. According to the locals the groups have been at loggerheads since last Diwali and had clashed even on Wednesday night. The two groups claimed that at least a dozen persons from each side sustained minor or major injuries in the heavy stone pelting. The Hindu came across at least half-a-dozen persons who were injured in the incident. Claiming there were no injuries, the police said no one turned up for a MLC (medico legal case).
The police have arrested 12 persons, six from each community, and booked them for rioting. “The situation is under control now. Adequate force has been deployed round the clock in the area,” said Madhur Verma, DCP (North).
The clashes took place between Sansis and Valmikis, two groups living in two separate colonies divided by a road in Majnu Ka Tilla. The first major clash between the two groups was reported on Diwali night last year following a quarrel between two groups who were gambling. The latest incident was the fourth major violence. Members of both groups have complained that minor clashes have been taking place every few days.
On Wednesday night, police said clashes were triggered by a scuffle between some men regarding the right to ferry passengers in autorickshaws in a particular area. The two communities got involved and it soon snowballed into a pitched battle between them as they continued clashing on and off from around 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday before the situation normalised during the wee hours. Thursday morning, however, word spread that one Amit, was stabbed by the other group while he was escorting a relative to school. That led to another clash that went on for 30 minutes around 2 p.m. before adequate force was deployed.
The two caste groups share a buyer-seller relationship for country-made liquor and allegedly all kinds of drugs. According to locals, many Sansis deal in liquor and their primary consumers are the Valmikis, who are primarily employed by the government as sanitation workers. Apart from this, the local market is located in a colony populated by the Sansis.
“Ever since the clash on Diwali, the Sansis have been eve-teasing our women who visit the market in their locality,” alleged Sanjay, a Valmiki. The Sansis, on the other hand, alleged that their girls are targeted by Valmikis when they walk to school through their locality.
Elders from the two communities concede that neither of them let go of an opportunity to attack the other. “The youngsters keep a stock of bricks and liquor bottles for pelting during the clashes,” said Sanjay, an elderly citizen. “The Sansis are well-equipped with liquor bottles. They keep them stacked in sacks for such occasions,” said Babu Lal, who belongs to neither group but was injured during Wednesday’s clash.
