Dreams burned in violence: Families recall horror of 2020 Delhi riots

NEW DELHI: Rahul Solanki had gone to a shop to fetch milk when he was shot dead by rioters in northeast Delhi's Shiv Vihar during the Feb 2020 communal violence. Before that, his house had been buzzing with plans for his wedding.

Hari Singh Solanki (55), Rahul's father, said that on Feb 24, his son had called him up and told him that clashes were a possibility and asked him to return home. Heeding the call, Hari Singh returned home, but later, Rahul went out to buy milk, and never returned. "A woman came to tell us that my son was injured. We rushed to him, but he was declared dead," Hari Singh said.


Rahul, a civil engineer, was to be married in April 2020. "The family had been preparing to celebrate. Instead, our home was plunged into grief," the father said.

Hari Singh said his wife sank into depression. "He was very close to his mother and always kept us together." The family sold their house and shifted to another part of northeast Delhi. "The grief was unbearable. What could we do by staying there?" Hari Singh asked.

Mehtab (22), too, had stepped out of his Brijpuri home to buy milk. Seeing the gate near his lane locked, he took another route. A few hours later, his brother, Mohammad Rashid, got a forward of photos of riot victims. Mehtab was among them. His family found his body in a local nursing home.

Speaking to TOI, Mehtab's sister-in-law Yasmin (41) said the death shattered the family. Mehtab's 95-year-old mother, Khushwadi "is depressed and confused all the time," Yasmin said. "She does not talk much anymore."

The family described Mehtab as a pure heart. After his death, responsibilities increased for Rashid, who now runs a cab loading service.

The family lives in constant fear. "Every day feels unsafe," Yasmin said, worrying whenever her three children step out. "We have to confront the accused every day. They live in a lane next to ours."

Dinesh Kumar (35) was returning home from work when he noticed a large gathering in Mustafabad. Curious, he went to check and was shot dead.

"I got a phone call in the evening and rushed to GTB Hospital to see my brother. I was terrified, and with the situation worsening, I feared for my own safety too. Somehow, I reached the hospital and found him injured," brother Suresh said. Dinesh succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Suresh, who runs a utensils store in Shiv Vihar, said Dinesh was the sole breadwinner of his family — his wife and two kids. "After his death, the family has struggled financially," he said.

The brother of Zakir, a 28-year-old welder in Mustafabad who was among those killed in the riots, lives steps away from Mehtab's house. Gulfam (38) now continues to work as a welder in Brijpuri, a trade the two brothers managed together.

Zakir had come to visit Gulfam. "We hadn't met for some time. He came to see me and then went to the masjid near the bridge. A while later, someone told me my brother had been stabbed by a mob in the masjid," Gulfam said.

While Gulfam works as a welder, his two other brothers are tailors.