When violence, born out of hatred, hits a city – it brings out the worst in some people. 

Thankfully, it brings out the best in others – and that serves as a reminder for every one, that the foundation of the city is not as weak as they are being made to believe by the divisive forces.

Delhi, right now, is experiencing the same. In the recent riots, we have seen some gruesome acts of brutality, which put humanity to shame. However, a silver lining has emerged in the form of various gestures of thoughtfulness, made by people of all backgrounds and walks of life. 

Here, we list some of them:

1. Sanjiv, from Delhi’s Mustafabad, saved his Muslim neighbour Mujibur Rehman’s life, after the latter lost all his belongings and house to the riots.

Here, Mujibur talks about the same to journalist Barkha Dutt.

2. After gurudwaras, the churches in vicinity of riot-affected areas welcomed people looking for help in these testing time.

Lending a helping hand, the National Council of Churches in India urged its ‘constituents everywhere to stand in solidarity with victim communities in their locales and foster an atmosphere of peace and human security across the country’.

Tour My India

3. Locals in Bajrangbali Moholla gave Muslim men, women and children shelter inside the Bajrang Bali Temple.

Leading them inside, they were heard saying, “Tum kyun darr rahe ho, ye toh tumhara hi moholla hai”.

4. In Chand Bagh, Muslims formed a human chain a protect a temple from being destroyed.

A report from Indian Express quoted one of the residents Saleem as saying, “It would have been shameful for us if the temple would have been damaged”. 

Hindu Association HK/Image for Representation

5. The Sikh Forum released a press-note, reminiscing what happened in 1984 and reiterating the importance of maintaining peace in the city.

6. From providing shelter to looking out for each other, residents of Mustafabad combined forces to fight against the ongoing violence. 

In one such instance, a Hindu girl was staying at a Muslim person’s house for 2 days. On being asked about the same, she told Firstpost:

I was in college when the situation started getting out of control. My classmate and friend, Shama, asked me if I would like to come to her place as it was the closest place of safety we could get to from college.
Firstpost

7. Forced to cancel her wedding due to the riots, 23-year-old Savitri Prasad got married the following day, thanks to her ‘Muslim brothers’ who stood outside her home in Chand Bagh as the ceremony took place.

“My Muslim brothers are protecting me today,” she told Reuters

News 18

8. When things got scary, Muslims in Mustafabad area of Delhi gathered around their Hindu neighbours to save them from getting harmed by the miscreants. 

9. 17-year-old Harsh Singh was given shelter by his Muslim neighbours Wahab and his wife as he was alone in his Khajoori Khas home when violence escalated in the area.

They also gave him food since his mother was not at home at the time. Harsh told The Hindu that he is like their child and has never felt unsafe in the locality.

The Hindu

10. Jeetender Verma, who lives in Delhi’s Ashok Nagar, tried to reason with the angry mob that vandalised the mosque and put a saffron flag in Gali No. 5.

He got injured in the process but tried his best. In an interview given to The Quint, Jeetender said, “I tried to tell them to stop vandalising the mosque and the shops. I told them that this is not good for both communities but they started beating me up. I ran for my life and they kept pelting stones at his home”.

Navbharat Times

India and Delhi, both are very strong and it is because of such kind people. We shall overcome.