A Hindu family in Gokalpuri had to leave their homes and turn to streets as a violent mob torched a couple of Muslim shops below their house which led their house to render unlivable.
The family of six, who are now forced to spend their days roaming in the streets and nights at a neighbour’s house, faced this heart-wrenching experience on Tuesday as the three shops, owned by Muslims who don’t reside in the building, on the ground floor of the two-storey structure was set on fire.
One of the family members, 20-year-old Karan, a daily wager, said the mob gathered in the streets and roads of Bhagirathi Vihar in Gokalpuri on Monday and Tuesday.
They started heavy stone-pelting on Tuesday evening, he said.
“I was on the first floor of our rented accommodation along with my 13-year-old sister. I got curious by the commotion outside and rushed to see what was happening. The locals tried to stop the mob but they torched three shops of Muslim tenants,” he said.
The shops belonged to a junk dealer, a TV mechanic and a man who sharpens scissors.
The flames from the shops also got spread to the first floor, where Karan used to live with his family, and he rushed upstairs to rescue his sister.
“My parents, who were not at the home, also came back and we collected necessary items and rushed out to save our lives. The flames spread from the ground floor to our rented room on the first floor,” he said
The House got so hot due to the flames produced from burning shops that the family had no place to reside and all its members moved to streets.
