Fatima, a 62-year-old widow, could not hold back her tears when her source of livelihood was set afire by protesters in north-east Delhi’s Khajuri Khas. Her worry? Daughter’s wedding.
A resident of the slums near Khajuri Khas junction, Ms. Fatima sold fruits on a wooden cart for a living, which on Monday was set ablaze. The burnt and destroyed fruits lying on the street told a wretched story.
“What am I supposed to do? What is my fault? I don’t know or care about the CAA. I was not protesting. Why should I bear the brunt? This was my livelihood. Two days ago, I had bought oranges worth ₹50,000 and so many of them are now destroyed. How will I manage funds? It’s a big loss for me,” she cried.
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Ms. Fatima said she was selling fruits in the morning after which at 2 p.m., a security guard asked her to abandon the cart and leave the area as the situation was turning violent.
“I went to my house, which is a few steps away from the spot where I was selling fruits. A few minutes later, I was told that my cart had been set ablaze. I ran to the spot and also fell down, injuring myself,” she said showing her bruised arm.
Ms. Fatima lives with her 25-year-old daughter, who recently graduated and a 23-year-old son, who is studying. The senior citizen said she has plans to get her daughter married and was looking for a groom. She said till now, she had been somehow managing the funds for her children’s education and this incident has left her looking for avenues to earn a livelihood. Several carts of street vendors and vehicles were torched and vandalised in Khajuri Khas and neighbouring areas when two communities pelted stones at each other on Monday.
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