The fires lit by Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots may have died down but for some Hindus, their lives have changed forever. Here is a story of Alok Tiwari, who lived with his family in Prem Vihar in the national capital.
The riots in NorthEast Delhi started last Sunday. On Saturday, too, the markets of communally sensitive areas were shut. Normalcy is now limping back in these areas even as police force is deployed in large number. OpIndia team reached Shiv Vihar. We reached the home of Alok Tiwari whose widow is sitting on the ground with her hands on her head, inconsolable. The women sitting around are expressing their condolences to her. Tiwari’s widow composed herself when she saw us. While we talked to people gathered around, his widow did not utter a word to us.
Alok Tiwari
After we requested, she narrated the incident that changed their lives forever. On Wednesday (26th February), at around 10 AM, Alok Tiwari had his food and went out of the house. “We weren’t worried because we were unaware of the situation outside. After about half an hour I got a call from his number and asked me whose number it was. I said that number was of my husband. He asked me to reach there as my husband was injured on his head. I reached there with a few people and saw that he was lying across a shop, injured badly. I fainted,” she said.
An eyewitness then narrates the remaining incident. “Alok was injured in the head and blood was oozing out. With the help of few bystanders, we brought him home. We called an ambulance but when it came at 1:30 PM, a lot of blood was lost. We got him admitted to GTB Hospital but late night, doctors declared him dead,” he said. As soon as family got to know if the news, they were devastated. After running pillar to post and visiting various police stations, the authorities handed over Alok Tiwari’s mortal remains to the family on 28th February. The condition of the family is so bad that the neighbours collected funds to arrange for the funeral. His four year old son Ayush Tiwari lit the funeral pyre.
While Alok Tiwari’s widow Kavita Tiwari cannot stop crying, his two children, Sonakshi and Ayush are unaware that they lost their father. Originally from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, Alok Tiwari with his family, came to Delhi about eight years back. They lived in Shiv Vihar in NorthEast Delhi. He worked as a labourer in a factory and was the sole breadwinner of the family. Kavita now has only one thing on her mind – what will happen to me and my children.
