Eerie calm prevails as 4 more bodies fished out of drains
New Delhi: A week after deadly communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi, the situation in affected areas was peaceful but tense on Sunday as four more bodies were fished out from drains in Gokalpuri and Shiv Vihar and heavy police deployment continued. The death toll in riots has now touched 47.
In parts of northeast Delhi, people complained of cash crunch as several bank branches and ATMs have remained closed in the aftermath of the riots.
The Delhi Police said it has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the violence so far. Forty-one of the cases were registered under the Arms Act.
No untoward incident has been reported from the northeast district over the past three days, an official said.
Three bodies were fished out from two drains in Gokalpuri on Sunday while one body was pulled out from a drain in Shiv Vihar, police said. However, it is yet to be ascertained if they are linked to the riots and authorities have not updated the death toll figure.
Several bodies of riot victims have been found in drains since Wednesday including of IB staffer Ankit Sharma after violence ebbed.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the AAP government is putting in best efforts to provide relief to the people affected by the riots.
Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said he is personally trying to ensure that relief reaches each person in need, asserting that the government wants people to return to their homes and be welcomed by their neighbours.
Schools are closed in the north-east district till March 7.
On Sunday, the CBSE said any further delay in conducting board exams in violence-affected areas may hamper chances of students in admission to professional courses like medical and engineering, but added that it is ready to conduct fresh exams for students who will not be able to appear as per schedule.
Aadil Khan, a resident of Jafradbad, said that several bank branches and ATMs located at B Block of Yamuna Vihar, were closed since the deadly communal violence erupted on February 23.
Anxious relatives of people missing during the violence continued to queue up at the GTB hospital mortuary, where bodies of riot victims were kept.
Sources said till Saturday six bodies were unidentified at the mortuary, out of which two were later identified and claimed. One of the bodies was charred.
Meanwhile, human rights activists wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner demanding that the names and addresses of those arrested in connection with the violence in the national capital be publicised as mandated by the law. Acting Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava visited DCP Amit Sharma who is undergoing treatment after suffering serious injuries in the clashes.
