Chawri Bazaar Clash: Shah Reprimands Delhi Police Commissioner; Temple Reopens Today, Normalcy Restored

The temple which was vandalized was reopened on Wednesday for people and prayers were offered, after people from the two communities, in presence of police, held discussions on ways to defuse the tension

Home Ministry Amit Shah. PTI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday summoned Commissioner of Delhi Police Amulya Patnaik and reprimanded him over the old Delhi incident where a temple was vandalised following a clash between two groups which gradually turned communal. After meeting Shah over the incident, Patnaik told reporters: "I have briefed him (Amit Shah) about the situation here. Things are now normal in the Hauz Qazi area. 4 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, he said, for allegedly vandalising the temple in Delhi's Chawri Bazaar's area as a row over parking a scooter snowballed into a communal flare up. Normalcy was restored in the area on Wednesday after days of tensions, and the temple which was vandalized was reopened for people. People from the two communities, in presence police, held discussions on ways to defuse the tension. The trouble began late Sunday night when Aas Mohammad (20) was parking his scooter outside a building. Sanjeev Gupta, a resident of the building, who runs an eatery stall there, objected to it, witnesses said. Gupta's wife Babita said when her husband objected to parking the vehicle near the stall, Mohammad left, but returned promptly with more men who were "probably drunk" and beat him up. Saqib, a 27-year-old software engineer and a local, narrated a different version. "When Mohammad was beaten up, he and his other family members went to police station and filed a case," he said. A video surfaced online which purportedly showed a man allegedly being beaten up by some people, who were suspected to be drunk, over a parking issue. Senior police officials said three separate cases have been registered in connection with the incident. A case has been registered based on Mohammad's statement, the other case is based on the statement by Gupta and the third case was lodged against unknown persons for rioting and damaging public property. "When Mohammad parked his scooter, Gupta asked him to move it somewhere else or he will set it on fire. Thereafter, a quarrel broke out and Gupta, along with some other person, took Mohammad inside the building and beat him up," said Aqib Hassan (25), who lives in the locality. Meanwhile, the locals called the Police Control Room and both Mohammad and Gupta were taken to the police station. (with inputs from PTI)