<![CDATA[In Modi's India, families of Muslims killed by Hindu mobs lose hope for justice]>
On February 24, when a mob of Hindu men armed with sticks and swords began rampaging through Shiv Vihar, a neighbourhood northeast of the Indian capital, Naziya frantically called all the Delhi police helpline numbers she could find on the internet.
"For the next 48 hours, there was no police officer in sight. They allowed the rioters to wreak mayhem upon us," said Naziya, 45, who only wanted to be identified by her first name. "Even the mobs were shouting and taunting us by saying, 'the police are with us'."
The riots, which erupted on the day US President Donald Trump arrived in India for a state visit, lasted three days, killing more than 45 people, mostly Muslim, and injuring at least 150 others. The mobs torched buildings worth millions, and hundreds of residents were displaced. Over 1,000 people have been arrested over the violence.
The bloodshed came amid rising tensions between Muslims and Hindus in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government last year passed a controversial law that fast-tracks Indian nationality for certain religious groups but excludes Muslims.
Detractors say the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is discriminatory and comes on top of other measures " including the axing of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy " that have sparked fears about the future of India's 200 million Muslims, who form about 15 per cent of the population.
There have been continuing protests across the country since the CAA was passed in December. A few days before the riots broke out, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra issued an ultimatum for Muslim residents in Shiv Vihar who had been holding a peaceful protest against the law.
Naziya watched the violence unfold from her window in horror. As the rioters began torching homes near hers, Naziya and her family, who were among the few dozen Muslim families in the area, feared those were going to be their last moments together.
"We were praying to Allah and hoping for a miracle," she said.
At that point, she said, a gas cylinder exploded in one of the burning houses, briefly scaring the mob away, allowing just enough time for Naziya and some members of her family to escape through a back alley to Mustafabad, a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood nearby.
"My sister-in-law and her husband were left behind," said Naziya. They were not likely to have survived, she added.
Naziya and her family members rest at a shelter in New Delhi, India. Photo: Adnan Bhat
Now sitting in a cramped room of a temporary shelter provided by the locals, Naziya and hundreds of families displaced by the riots believe if the government had been more proactive in quelling the unrest, many lives could have been saved.
Mohammad Irshad, 35, and his family arrived at the shelter on Wednesday morning. But not before the father of five saw his autorickshaw and house being razed by mobs. Irshad's one-year-old daughter Sadia received severe burn injuries on her upper thigh during their escape.
"I'm just glad we are alive," Irshad said. "I have lived all my life here. We have never witnessed anything like this."
Mohammad Irshad, 35, holds his one-year-old daughter Sadiya, who was injured during the riots in New Delhi, India. Photo: Adnan Bhat
Irshad blamed the Modi government for creating an atmosphere of hate across the country.
"The Modi government has made it clear they don't want Muslims," he said. "Police don't want to protect us. So all we can do is hope that Hindus realise that killing us will not make their lives better."
A fact-finding report by a civil rights group claimed both Muslims and Hindus were angry with the Delhi police for not being there when help was needed. "We heard repeatedly of frantic calls to the 100 (emergency helpline) line that went unanswered, for 48 to 72 hours," the report said.
Irshad said there was no prior animosity between Hindus and Muslims living in the area. But things took a turn on February 23, after the speech by BJP's Mishra, who gave police an ultimatum to clear the sites. "Since Trump is in the country, we are leaving peacefully. But if the streets are not cleared by the time he leaves, we not listen to anyone," he said.
Two days after the riots started, Aamir Khan, 28, and his brother Asim, 17, left their home in Mustafabad on their motorcycle to check on their grandparents in the next neighbourhood. At around 10pm, they rang their father Babu to say they would be home late due to the ongoing clashes.
The next day, when the boys did not return, Babu, 58, and his wife Asgari, 53, went to the nearest police station. There, the couple's worst fears were confirmed after police officers showed them a list of bloody pictures of people killed.
"We were worried since they had left home early in the morning. But never had we thought they would both be killed," said Babu, unable to hold back tears.
Asgari, left, and Babu lost their two sons in the riots. Photo: Adnan Bhat
"From the pictures, I could see both of them had been hit with an axe," Babu said. "One had an injury on his head, and the younger one was hit around the neck."
The parents learned their sons were killed barely a kilometre away from home. Their bodies were then dumped in a nearby open sewage.
Aamir, a father of two, was the family's only breadwinner. His wife and two young daughters have been struggling to come to terms with his death.
Asgari said she had no hope the police would seek justice for her sons.
"As a mother, I can't even imagine what my children must have done when those killers beat them," Asgari said. "I have no hope from the police, but I pray to Allah for justice."
Additional reporting by Reuters, dpa
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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