During Delhi riots, school caretaker, family stuck without food, water for 60 hrs

Now that things are slowly returning to normal, Kalauni plans to head to his village in Uttarakhand, and never return.

“That day I could hear chants from both groups. Suddenly there was stone pelting and firing sounds and I saw both groups rush towards the school. As I didn’t open the gate, they barged in with weapons in hand and started climbing the stairs to catch me. They tried to scare me and asked me why I wasn’t opening the gate,” he said.

Kalauni said he tried to run towards the back of the school on the terrace with his wife and two children – an eight-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter – but was further threatened by the mob outside. “They told me they will throw me and my family down from the terrace. I realised I had no choice, I escaped from a window which was broken. We ran for nearly 2 km to Little Rose Public School in Brijpuri because I knew the caretaker there,” he said.

Kalauni said besides his friend, it was the owner of the school who came to their rescue, assuring them that they could stay there as long as they wanted. “I made repeated calls to the police, probably every five minutes, but nobody responded. For the next 60 hours, we were stuck there without food or water. My children were crying, and I couldn’t help them. I was just thinking if we will come out alive,” he said.

Tanuja, his wife, said she was trying to make sure her children don’t realise the seriousness of the issue. “My daughter was inconsolable but my son is young. I told him this is a game and it would all be over soon. I laughed and said it so he would believe me,” she said.

With their Rs 50,000 cash, gold jewellery and other belongings all stolen in the riot, he says he no longer sees any point in staying in the city. “I have worked in this school for 18 years. I have given this city everything, but it took everything from me. Now I will leave from here. I’ll go back home. Wapas aane ke mann nahi hai,” said the resident of Khurpali Village in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district.

“I can’t believe people indulged in such violence in a school where children of both communities study. They may not have thought of us, but why didn’t they think of their children’s future even once?” he said.