The residents of northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri are struggling to make ends meet and suffering due to the restrictions imposed in the area in the wake of the clashes last week, Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed on Saturday.
Dastidar, who led an all-women fact-finding team of the TMC to Jahangirpuri on Friday, alleged residents of Jahangirpuri's C-Block, the epicentre of the April 16 violence, have been "caged" and are not allowed to come out.
She told PTI that the team found that people are "under threat" and living in fear. They also complained of restricted access to water.
Clashes broke out between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri last Saturday, leaving eight police personnel and a local resident injured. According to police, there was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes and some vehicles were also torched.
All points of entry to the C-Block have been heavily barricaded and security has been beefed up following the clashes.
Dastidar said the TMC team managed to enter Jahangirpuri despite the restrictions and spoke to many residents before being stopped by police.
"Residents of the C-Block have been caged. They could not come out and were also not allowed to speak to us.
"There were some children who helped us enter the residential area. Before the police stopped us, we had already met a number of families living there. We also visited the back lane of the mosque and spoke to people who were present there when the violence took place. We have observed that people are under threat and fear," the TMC leader said.
She said that many of the residents are scrap dealers and unable to earn their daily wage due to the restrictions.
"We went to extend our support to these residents. We are planning how to help them," Dastidar said.
TMC MP Saugata Roy said the delegation managed to speak to nearly 200 people in Jahangirpuri.
"They will submit a report to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by tomorrow (April 24) and after that, the party will take a decision. We are ready to extend help to them (Jahangirpuri residents)," Roy told PTI.
In a tweet on Friday, senior TMC leader Aparupa Poddar, who was also part of the party's fact-finding team, alleged they were stopped from meeting residents as the Centre was scared of the truth coming out.
"Police stopped the all women fact-finding team of @AITCofficial which was sent by @MamataOfficial didi for enquiring about the #Jahangirpuri incident. BJP Govt & Delhi Police is (are) scared of the truth of the violence being exposed if the delegation was allowed to meet the victims," she said.
So far, 25 people have been arrested in the Jahangirpuri violence case by the police, while two juveniles have been apprehended. The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police is investigating the case.
