In this Ahmedabad locality, fear has no religion

Both Hindus and Muslims were hurt and both fled. The Hindus shifted to the Sabarmati river bed into which the colony opens out and the majority Muslims escaped to Jamalpur relief camp. The state has been trying to shut down the camps, yet refugees keep trickling in as violence flares up every now and then.

‘‘We don’t want to go back. They could attack us again. We sleep in the mud and stay close to the river bed all day,’’ said Basantiben Marwadi, who was hit in the eye by a stone. Some have found shelter in a cloth-shed, but most are living in the open. They are so scared that they brave the day temperatures of 46 degrees Celsius and stay put in the scorching sun. ‘‘We move only to get water or retrieve some of our belongings,’’ said Marwadi. The refugees now cook on the river bed.

Some of the Hindu families which escaped have found shelter in the nearby Mahadevji temple. None has shifted to a relief camp. ‘‘That’s because there is no Hindu camp nearby and we don’t want to leave our houses. All our stuff are still there,’’ said Shakarbhai Kahar, a panipuri seller. ‘‘If we leave, they will loot them.’’

In the heat of the riots, around 1,000-odd Muslims too accompanied the Hindus to the river bed. Later, they shifted to Jamalpur relief camp. ‘‘We have complete faith in our Hindu neighbours. But we feared that people from other localities could come and attack us,’’ said Rafikbhai Shaikh, a garage mechanic who has lived at Raikhad Darwaja for 40 years.

Rickshaw driver Anwar Rasool Khan too shifted to Jamalpur on Sunday with his family because he felt vulnerable. ‘‘We did move to the river bed. But many Muslims had already left for the relief camp. So we were scared that we could be easy prey,’’ he said. Anwar has locked up his house and believes his neighbours won’t loot it.

‘‘We have been living together for decades. But times are bad. So we decided that we better leave,’’ he said. Now that they are away from danger, the one thing on their minds is a regular livelihood. Residents of Raikhad Darwaja have been jobless for over two months. ‘‘Who will help us?’’ said Mohanjibhai Marwadi, a 50-year-old labourer.