Mobile bells start ringing in the evening, the pace of the arrival of the message was only increasing. People start running around in the streets, the shops start closing. Whom to ask, people knew only half the things. Just listen and people started making a story. Nobody said they saw anything themselves, just heard something. The message has been pushed forward. No one had an answer, whoever we asked. They weren’t so conscious that if you have heard something, first check.
Someone said the shops were closing, that the police has arrived there, that there are riots happening there, without checking. People were just running away without full information. Messages started coming from Sarita Vihar, Madanpur Khadar, Madangir, Sangam Bihar, Batla House, Badarpur to Rohini, Rajouri Garden, Dwarka.
Looking at the way Delhi’s environment has changed in the last two months, it seems that there is a fear in the heart of Delhi. The way Delhi used to sleep with closed eyes and ears, today Delhi has lost its sleep.
People had thought that the situation would be normal after the election, but the way North Delhi has become, their nights have ended. Trust of law and order within the people have been destroyed. They knew that the police was not able to protect them. That is why people were running away from shops without telling the police. But, the police have also shown agility this time, walking through the locality, controlling the rumours on Whatsapp. With the help of social media, they immediately controlled the rumours.
Still, people are leaving the city in search of a new home with their families. Everything seems right now, but nobody knows how long this ‘fear race’ will last. How long will this Delhi burn, and when will Delhi get to sleep?