THE city has become a tale of twohalves.Onehalflivingunder a siege-like situationwith acurfewimposedinareasaround the riot-hit Mahal since March 17, while citizens in the rest of the cityenjoyanormallifelikenothing has happened. The citizens of Mahal and the nearby area living under siege are facing a lockdown-like situation even after 48 incident-free hours, making them wonder, Why are they the ones who have to live like this? How come citizens in the rest of the city are living a peacefullifewithout fearof violence and any restrictions? Citizens in the area are growing more frustrated with the curfewbeing extendedwithout sign of its end. This too, when other parts of the city have no restrictions whatsoever.Abird flyingup abovein the skywould be able to seeaclear demarcationbetweenabustlingcity and a deserted riot-hit area. Bhushan Jhakkanwar,alocal youth, spoke to 'The Hitavada’ near Ram Cooler in Mahal and expressedhis angerover the situation.

 

He said, “It's hard to understand thecurfewinasmall part of the city for fear of violence when the rest of the city is functioning freely.Anti-social elements who want to create disturbance can very easily do it at any partin the city.”He also added that Mahal, Gandhibag, and Ganeshpeth have been peaceful localities before this incident. Similar sentiments were echoed by Ubed Khan, a techie who works remotely from his residence in Mahal. He said, “The riots have spoilt the festive mood of the holy month of ‘Ramadan’, and it's not fruitful for any community. The bone of contention of this issue, the Tomb of Aurangzeb, is not in or near the city, and still the violence and disturbance in harmony of the citizens over its removal are not beneficial for anyone.Itwilljustbenefit those desiring to spread hatred in the hearts of the society.” The citizens in the area didn’t even get the benefit ofrelaxation from the curfew that was given in many other areas on Thursday.

 

The citizens had to run toshops faraway toget even asmallitem,as thenearbyshops wereclosed.Thisinconvenience has becomea point ofirritation for the citizens. The locals are also suffering loss in their businesses. The Mahal area is amainmarket for invitationcards.Oneshopowner shared that many customers who had placed the order are cancelling the order and asking for theirmoneyback.Thecaterers in the area who had huge orders have suffered losses due to the cancellation of their orders.

 

As the days pass with no clear end to the curfew, frustration anduncertaintycontinue to growamong the residents of Mahal and its surrounding areas. While the rest of the city moves forward unaffected, those living under restrictions are left grappling with daily hardships andalingering sense ofisolation.Thelargerquestion now remains:will thesecitizens be able to return to normalcy once the curfew is lifted, or will the scars of violence and imposedrestrictionsleavealasting impact on their lives and livelihoods?