Residents of street no. 29 in north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas and the cleric of the Fatima Masjid situated there donated PPE kits, masks and gloves to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital on Thursday. The street, and the mosque, witnessed some of the most gruesome violence during communal riots which broke out in the fourth week of February this year— while several houses belonging to Muslims were targeted by rioters, Fatima Masjid was vandalised and burnt.
Mohammed Munazir, a resident of the area, said he, along with the mosque’s imam Mohammed Akram and a few others, decided to pool resources towards a modest contribution for the front-line workers as a mark of solidarity. The group donated 100 PPE kits, 200 masks and 200 gloves in all.
“We didn’t have enough money earlier after the riots broke out. The monetary situation is slightly better for people now. The doctors, nurses, and police are out on the streets saving people. We wanted to tell them that we are with them in this fight,” he said.
Another reason for the locals was to express gratitude to the doctors of GTB Hospital who took care of the scores of persons injured in the riots. “I still remember how many people from this street and many others got injured in the riots and doctors treated them. They helped us a lot,” said Mr. Munazir.
The group intends to donate more in the coming weeks if they are able to marshal more resources, he said.
