Tension prevails in Delhi's Chandni Chowk after communal violence

Tension prevails at the Hauz Qazi area after a brawl over parking space blew up into a confrontation between two communities.

Late on June 30 night, a 20-year-old Aas Mohammad decided to park his two-wheeler outside a building and a resident of the building, Sanjeev Gupta, objected to it. This is how the incident started.

Soon after, the argument grew louder and more people joined in on both sides and a clash ensued.

It is not clear who started the fight. Afterwards, a mob barged into a temple and vandalised it.

“They broke the idols of the deities and burnt the curtains of the temple. I don't want anything but that they should be punished,” the priest of the temple, Anil Kumar Pandey, told The Quint.

Over 1,000 security personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

Some locals claim the vandalism had been committed by outsiders. "I have been living here for 50 years... Everybody lives with love, both Muslims and Hindus," said NDTV quoted 50-year-old Swami Chandra Das as saying.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, who represents Chandni Chowk in Parliament, visited the area on Tuesday.

"It is very unfortunate and painful. The kind of things done to the temple is unforgivable," he said, according to NDTV. "I have been told that the police is already in action. The culprits will be arrested soon and punished. I appeal to the people to maintain harmony."

Image Credit: @drharshvardhanon Twitter