Year 1987, DELHI.
While posted in central zone Traffic, on sunny afternoon of 19th of May, around noon a message flashed notifying eruption of a communal riot in the walled city. Swinging into speedy action we cut-off traffic flow from Asif Ali road, Daryaganj road, Turkman gate, Ajmeri gate and Chandni Chowk area from converging into the eye of communal storm.
Always alert and vigilant commissioner Ved Marwah taking stock of the situation rushed additional force to riot affected downtown Delhi.
D S Norawat and myself from traffic police were inducted for grappling with tricky, prickly law and order problem. Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) were placed at our direct disposal.
While Norawat was located at Jama Masjid area, myself placed at epicenter in the vicinity of Turkman gate. Sitaram Bazar, Ajmeri gate, Chawri Bazar, Chitli kabar, Nai Sadak bore the major brunt of a senseless communal violence. Soon we succeeded not only in strictly enforcing prohibitory orders but curbing the situation from turning turtle assuming a contagious epidemic form. Available force suitably equipped with necessary anti-riot gear was adequately briefed and stationed in potential area of threat, for defusing situation for restoration of normalcy.
Around 23.30 hrs. a urgent message from LG arrived for touring of the affected area.
It is a highly practical experience that on such crucial occasions the communication network of senior officers suddenly goes haywire?
Lieutenant Governor was coming back from dinner at Airforce mess Dhaula Kuan on way back to Civil Lines residence. At half hour past midnight, LG Air Marshal HKL Kapoor’s car marshalled on the Asif Ali road. I warmly received him near Turkman gate, outside Ramlila ground.
Soon all his inquisitive enquiries about current prevailing situation and our police deployment were satisfactorily laid to rest. Subsequently he insisted for a foot inspection tour of this recently disturbed volatile explosive area. Disregarding my advice for ensuring his safety, he proceeds ahead rather ridiculing me, “Virk are you scared of moving in the area entrusted for protection”. However he donned a safety helmet, we safely escorted him through main Sitaram bazar, Chitli kabar, Chawri bazar, Nai sadak, Ajmeri gate etc.
While sojourning through the area he comfortably interacted with all police personnel we met. Motivating them to be cautious, vigilant and alert plus ensuring exercising extreme strictness while dealing with anti-social renegade elements. Just a few hours of high intensity holocaust had left behind a visible trial of mayhem; we could simply imagine about bedlam which must have prevailed, it clearly spoke loudly about itself.
Smouldering fires, scattered stone and bricks, shattered glass, broken power poles and electrical wires, burnt vehicles, spots of spilled blood, incinerated shops and buildings etc.
A gathering of officers at the exit point, jubilantly greeted LG upon culmination of his spot inspection. Instead of appreciating my chaperoning LG through the area, I unexpectedly got a shocking reprimand from a senior officer for straying out of my assigned jurisdictional limits.
Unable to restrain myself, pointblank gave him a peace of my mind, for which I had to answer several obnoxious queries from Police Headquarter.
No doubt life soon limps back to normal after persistent efforts of various religious, social, security, welfare and governmental agencies. The physical wounds heal with passage of time, brutal vicious events soon disappear from radar screen of our mental horizon, those dead are no doubt gone forever. However scars imprinted on the delicate impressionable human hearts get permanently embossed, proving to be intermittently painful for all the future times to come.
Equality of humanity is respected with equanimity by entire dignified humanity, only those humans having no regard for egalitarianism are humans masquerading as demons.
Note: This gentlemanly Lieutenant Governor HKL Kapoor personally led a posse of policemen on cold night of 25th January 1988, from Red Fort to Ajmeri Gate, reviewing security on route of Republic day parade. I was member of this team.
( Author of the article Sh. HPS Virk , is retired Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police)
