Water wars in Delhi

With dry taps for 8 days, residents of an east Delhi colony go on a rampage; public property destroyed, several injured

With dry taps for 8 days, residents of an east Delhi colony go on a rampage; public property destroyed, several injured

Monsoon has hit the Capital, but many throats remain parched. And while the mercury may be sliding down, tempers are running high. Things came to a head at Kondli in east Delhi on Tuesday, when after eight days without water, residents took to the streets to protest, which later turned violent. A 500-strong mob participated in the demonstrations, including women and children. The protesters also pelted the police with stones near Kondli Chowk, who had to resort to lathi-charge.


Beating a retreat: Protesters clashed with the police. Pics/Imtiyaz Khan

"There is no water supply for eight days. We are consuming leftover water from overhead tanks, which is unhygienic. Our children are falling sick. We've complained many times to the authorities, but there hasn't been any response. What are we supposed to do? It's not a problem that has started today; we have been facing difficulties since a long time. Whenever there is water supply, it's almost brown in colour. Most of us can't afford water purifiers," said a Kondli resident.

"We were not aware of the number of protestors. Many of them were blocking the streets. When we tried to stop them, they reacted by attacking us with sticks. There were only four policemen; we couldn't control the entire crowd. We had to call the control room for help, but by that time the number of protestors had doubled," said Balmanand, a constable with the Ashok Nagar police station.

Several shops and vehicles, including low-floor buses and two police motorbikes, faced the people's ire. Four policemen, including the SHO, sustained injuries. 15-20 civilians were also taken to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital after getting wounded, three with more serious injuries.

They have alleged that the police forcibly pulled them out of their homes and then beat them up after they had come back from the protests.
"More than two dozen protesters are in custody. Cases will be filed against the culprits for attacking the police, damaging public property and looting," said police personnel.