New Delhi : Milk, vegetables and other essential food items were made available to the residents of east Delhi’s Trilokpuri Monday, three days since they were confined to their homes following a communal clash.
Police have set up Safal and Mother Dairy kiosks to sell vegetables, bread, and other food items. Mother Dairy milk vans have been allowed to enter the locality. Indane and Hindustan petroleum vehicles have been allowed to deliver cooking gas cylinders.
As the area still remains tense, the movement of public transport vehicles is completely restricted. Delhi Police Saturday prohibited unlawful assembly of people after a clash between a group of Hindus and Muslims over Diwali celebrations Oct 23.
“We are distributing milk, vegetables and other essential eatables in the affected blocks of Trilokpuri,” a senior police official told IANS, adding that if required, Delhi Police will also take help from other institutions in facilitating this.
The residents Sunday complained about shortage of essential commodities like milk.
Joint Commissioner of Police (eastern range) Sanjay Beniwal told IANS that only women and children (up to 16 years of age) were being allowed to buy the food items.
“Men will not be allowed to venture out on main streets and roads (till 4 p.m.),” Beniwal said, adding that there was “no curfew in place” and only prohibitory orders had been issued.
Delhi Police have so far arrested 44 people who were named in three separate first information reports (FIRs) while 14 have been detained for making hoax calls to police, after the two groups threw stones on each other Friday.
Following a brief period of calm, clashes erupted again and five people were shot at Saturday evening.
Police said a total of 70 people have been injured in the incident including 14 residents and 56 police personnel.
Police sources said that majority of the mob comprised minors who were detained but were later allowed to go.
No fresh incident of violence has been reported from the area since Sunday, Special Commissioner of Police (law and order) Deepak Mishra said.
“The situation is still tense in the area but no untoward incident was reported since last night. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC are still in force to avoid violence,” Mishra told IANS.
The whole of Trilokpuri, divided into 36 blocks, were being manned by over 1,000 security personnel – from Delhi Police, Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force along with over 30 police vans, water cannons and riot control vehicles.
All the main exit and entry points to the blocks have been sealed by police.