For two hours, it was utter mayhem. A day after frenzied mobs attacked houses and properties in the Arsh Mahal area of Kishanbagh, local residents in the area recalled the events with a shudder.
“They tried to open the door, but we prevented it. Later, they climbed on to the roof and threw huge boulders inside while another group set our belongings on fire. We were fortunate that fire personnel arrived on time,” Zuleqa Begum (50) said. Incidentally, her husband Md. Mansoor Khan, is a home guard.
When an armed mob broke the door and entered her house on Wednesday, she along with five family members hid inside a room and put an almirah against the door. “Police were a mute witness and did nothing to stop them,” she alleged.
Her neighbour Mahmooda Bee went through a similar experience. “Had the police acted judiciously, we would not have suffered so much as the mobs were running amuck in their presence,” she complained, pointing to the marks made by swords on her iron door, a sign of the effort made by the mobs to enter the house.
For a cycle repairer, Md. Ismail, the attack brought life to a standstill. The 45-year-old-planned to marry his daughter off in June. “We shifted here just two days ago. Miscreants burnt all the wedding gifts. How will I perform the wedding now,” he wailed.
Parveen Sultana (40) too is literally on the roads. The mob broke open the door of her house-cum-kirana store and damaged the articles. “They destroyed everything. We managed to escape in nick of time,” she said. Altogether, six houses and 15 vehicles were set ablaze. Another 15 houses and vehicles also were damaged.
