At 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, AAP Seelampur MLA Abdul Rehman rushed out of his house and made his way through the narrow lanes of Jaffrabad to reach his car parked on the main road. “[Deputy Chief Minister] Manish Sisodia ji has reached,” he told his aide, as they got into the vehicle.
Mr. Rehman is one of the three AAP MLAs of the riot-hit north-east Delhi. Mustafabad MLA Mohammad Yunus was “down with fever”, and Gokalpuri MLA Surendra Kumar was on his way back to the area from Rouse Avenue court where he had gone in the morning.
As the car stopped outside the government school in Jaffrabad, Mr. Rehman jumped out to meet Mr. Sisodia, who spent about 15 minutes in a school talking to students and parents.
After the Minister left, the AAP MLA spent a further 20 minutes talking to the people, and asked them not to believe any rumours. He then left for his house.
Around 3.30 pm, Mr. Kumar joined the Deputy Chief Minister for a visit to a school in Gokalpuri. He left soon after Mr. Sisodia departed.
Consoling the bereaved
At 4.45 p.m., Mr. Yunus left his house in Mustafabad as he was “feeling better”.
He got off his vehicle near street number 5 of Babu Nagar. Inside the narrow street lined with open drains, an under-construction building was being used as a site for public viewing of Jamaludeen, who was killed in the riots.
“The MLA will get you the ₹1 lakh on Thursday and the rest ₹9 lakh will be deposited in the bank account. Do not worry, the MLA will take care of everything,” a man standing next to Mr. Yunus told Kamaludeen, the brother of the deceased.
“The situation is under control but things are not completely over,” the MLA told the people gathered in the area.
After spending 10 minutes consoling the family members, the MLA told the gathering: “Any time you need any help, you can call me. I will come.”
“Jamaludeen was killed by the son of an ex-BJP councillor. They killed him with swords and knives,” Mr. Yunus told The Hindu . as he left the area.
By 5.20 p.m., Mr. Yunus reached the relief camp in Idgah ground in Mustafabad, where the other two AAP MLAs were already present.
“We have been working a lot since the violence began. On February 24, we were in touch with the DCP and other police officers. It was not safe for us to go out. From February 25, we have been in touch with the people,” said the Gokalpuri MLA, when asked whether they were visiting people in riot-hit areas apart from the camps.
“On Tuesday, [Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal] Gautam ji was here and we met people in different areas. We are asking people about their problems and talked to them about brotherhood,” Mr. Kumar added.
Seeing the overcrowded camp, Mr. Rehman discussed solutions with a volunteer. “We are making IDs for the people who have taken refuge here, and also for the volunteers. Others will not be allowed to enter the camp,” said the MLA as a volunteer introduced Mr. Rehman to a reporter.
By 6 p.m. it started to get dark at the camp, Mr. Rehman and Mr. Yunus sat on plastic chairs surrounded by volunteers discussing the situation in the area.
