Delhi riots: 2 families in Brijpuri lose house, livelihood, all hope

While Malik ran the showroom on the ground floor, he used to live with his family on the upper floors.

After the four-storey building in Brijpuri where Ajmeri Malik, 45, lived and ran a footwear showroom was gutted in the Delhi riots causing a loss of over Rs 1.25 crore, the businessman says he has lost the will to live. Malik’s daughter is preparing for her medical entrance examination and son is appearing for his class 10 board examination.

The burnt building where Ajmeri Malik lived and ran a footwear showroom in north-east Delhi’s Brijpuri. (HT photo)

“I have told my children that I cannot help them build a bright future. Death seems to be the only solution,” he said, his eyes fixed on the burnt walls of Fazil Boot House — the shop named after his son. “The rioters tore even switchboards off the walls. They leave nothing. I don’t even have a mat. This charpoy I am sitting on was also given by my relatives,” he said.

While Malik ran the showroom on the ground floor, he used to live with his family on the upper floors. Some area was also used as a godown for stock. Malik said renovation work for the building was underway and he had recently spent more than Rs 10 lakh on the building. “There is barely any money left in my bank account,” he said.

Hordes of men had started gathering around in the area on February 24, a day before the building was set on fire, Malik said. “When they had started gathering, I remained in my building for a while thinking help would come. When the situation escalated, I ran from the back door,” he said.

Appealing to the government, he said, “I am not asking for help. But people should stand with me in my fight. What wrong did we do to deserve this? The government should think about it, especially when they talk about ‘development for all’.”

A little distance away from his shop, Kaushik Bhawan also stand damaged and abandoned. Residents said the building was completely damaged and they could not even identify which objects were burnt because “everything has turned to ashes”.

Tushant Kaushik, 25, said they suffered a loss of above Rs 2 crore. “A mob came in the evening and first pelted stones at our house. We jumped off from the fourth floor on to somebody else’s terrace to save ourselves,” he said.

While the ground floor served as the godown for their cooking oil business, the Kaushik family resided on the other floors. “We didn’t have insurance because we never thought we would get caught in riots. People prepare themselves for thieves and not rioters,” he said. The family also questioned the method of compensation for the victims.

“The compensation is fixed for all and is not dependent on the losses. What about those whose losses are way more than compensation? The government should think about us as well,” he said.