Mehrauli struggles for normalcy

As shoppers kept away from the market, shopkeepers were jittery and said the “shock” of the incident had not subsided.

Owners took stock of the damage caused by the blast, when the shops opened by the afternoon.

With glass, clothes and broken fragments still littering the area, not many people entered the market today. “It has been unusually decongested today, considering it is a Sunday; most people want to keep away from the market,” a shopkeeper said.

Deen Mohammad, who owns a saree shop right next to the spot where the bomb blast occurred, has lost goods worth Rs 40,000 to 50,000. Unhappy about his losses, he recounts the moments after the blast. “I was watching television inside the shop with my brother when the bomb went off; there was instant smoke and a deafening sound as we ducked coughing inside the shop.”

Only the screen of the television set is left now; stands with sarees in front of the television and behind it were shredded to pieces by the blast.

Shops on both sides of the road have holes peeping through the shutters — nails and metal pieces pierced through them. Deen Mohammad’s brother Aftab Alam said: “We could not hear a thing for at least 20 minutes after the blast and were blinded for at least 10 minutes.”

But life has to go on even if it only limps back to normalcy, most people at the market said. Jahaz Mahal was closed today and entry inside was not allowed.

While condemning the blast, almost everyone muttered a word or two against the police and the media.

Criticising a news channel, an old man angrily said: “People in this market have never spoken about a Hindu-Muslim conflict or even a separate identity for as long as I can remember; why should people bring it up now?”

Some shopkeepers had a scuffle with a television anchor on Saturday night when he put forward a “similar question” to a resident.

The festival of Phool Walon Ki Sair is slated for October. Both Hindus and Muslims celebrate it together at the Jahaz Mahal.

The Khattar family, which owns four shops that bore the brunt of the blast, stayed away from the media today, as they cleared the debris from their shops. Sunil Khattar, a family member, said: “We just want our business to get back to normal as soon as possible. There is no problem between communities here.”