Normalcy has now returned to violence-hit parts of northeast Delhi, where 47 people lost their lives in February this year. Nearly a week after the deadly communal violence hit the areas, several shops were seen opened in Maujpur area, the epicentre of the riots from where the stone pelting began on February 23. As one passes through the area, security personnel could be seen sitting outside several shops. From pharmacies to electronics shops, which were shut down due to the violence, were reopened.
While there are still some shops that are closed down and their shutters read, "NO CAA, NO NRC". CCTV cameras of most of the shops were damaged and glasses broken.
Sachin Kumar Jain, who runs a furniture shop in the area since 1985, said he and four of his employees had locked themselves inside the shop for at least five hours when the violence broke out on Sunday.
"As soon as the violence broke out, we closed the shutters of the shop and stayed inside for at least five hours. We could hear stones being pelted but we were too scared to step out and object to anything," said Jain, a resident of Maujpur.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Jain and his employees escaped through another lane from the backside of their shop.
Jain, along with his wife and children, left the area for Gandhinagar to a relatives place.
A sanitary shop at Maujpur was just reopened on Sunday after the situation in the area seemed normal and under control.
Security personnel have been deployed outside many shops in the area. Many shopkeepers said the security forces in the area encouraged them to open shops.
"I opened my shop yesterday. On Sunday, around 4 pm, the situation turned violent with mob pelting stones. I immediately closed the shop and decided to rush back home," recalled Mukesh Gupta, a resident of Brahmanpuri.
Gupta said he has been running his shop since the last 20 years and has never witnessed such violence in the last two decades here.
Many shopkeepers said they have suffered huge losses in the last one week since the violence broke out and they hardly have customers coming.
Deepak Bansal, who owns a garments shop here since last 40 years, said they never have witnessed such violence.
"As soon as the news spread, we all decided to shut down the shop on Sunday evening. The shops right in front were completely damaged by stone pelters and now all you see there is a dog taking a shelter inside the shop," he said.
After the security forces motivated us, we decided to open our shops but there has been no business so far, he added.
Anil Jain, an electronics shop owner said, "Around 4.30 pm, when the stone pelting started, we closed our shops and rushed to my house upstairs. Stones were being pelted left and right and we did not come out of our houses for days."
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