Alienation, distrust and exodus loom in the aftermath of Delhi riots

Distrust among communities may lead to permanent displacement for thousands, write Arindam Majumder and Somesh Jha

Dilshad grew up in the alleys of Shiv Vihar, where he moved in when he was  six. Now, 32, he has never felt more alienated in the community he has known forever.

He was lucky to be away at work on February 25, when a mob armed with petrol bombs, knives, sticks and guns started rampaging through the narrow lanes of his colony, burning down houses and killing people. 

On March 5, more than a week after the communal riots in India’s capital broke out, Dilshad, who works as a mason, returned for the first time with his 11-year-old nephew