A day after Thursdays violence in Tilak Vihar in West Delhi,police barricades have replaced the invisible line that,till a day ago,separated the Sikh and Valmiki communities in the area. On one side of the police barricades live the Valmikis,peeping through the windows of their houses. Barely 50 feet across the road,Sikhs are huddled on charpoys. Nobody ventures to the others side for fear of reprisal. Shops and schools in the area remained closed; the exception being a milk booth. The milk booth is on the other side (where the Sikhs live). We are not going there because many are still scared of being attacked. We will have to find another source from where we can buy milk, said Ajit Singh,who owns a cycle shop on the part of the street where the Valmikis live. For people of both communities,the only way to buy basic commodities including vegetables,atta and dal is by requesting policemen to do so for them. Policemen were seen carrying bags of atta,rice and tea,and handing those over to both community members. On Thursday,a small scuffle,which broke out in the area after members of one community began performing stunts and hit an elderly man,snowballed into a communal clash leaving 25 persons injured,of whom five suffered gunshot wounds. Deepak,a Valmiki,said,Police have asked us to remain indoors and keep the lights switched on. None of us have slept the entire night. All of us were on alert. Even our children were woken up every now and then at the slightest sound of movement in the area. The lights went out at 4 am and we all got scared. While residents claimed there was a minor altercation in the morning,senior police officers denied it saying the situation was completely under control. Harpreet Singh,a member of the Sikh community,alleged,We were walking around in the morning and suddenly the Valmikis began pelting stones at us. They threatened to attack us again and thrash our women and children. One person with bullet wounds still in hospital Four persons,who received gunshot wounds in the communal clash between Sikhs and Valmikis in Tilak Vihar,were discharged from hospital on Friday. But one person,who was operated on for bullet injuries in his abdomen,remained in hospital as doctors kept him under observation. Among those who were discharged from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital,two were hit in their hands. A bullet had grazed anothers ear and,in the fourth case,a bullet had grazed the mans neck. They were discharged after being treated in the emergency. Doctors said the fifth patient underwent abdominal surgery immediately after being rushed to hospital on Thursday evening. His condition is stable.
