BJP woos Valmikis in ‘tense’ Trilokpuri

Ahead of the assembly elections, fresh posters urging Trilokpuri residents to join the BJP have come up in the area. Locals claim that the posters are strategically placed at blocks where the population of the Valmiki community is large.

The posters have a large a photograph and message of former BJP MLA Sunil Vaid, who has been accused by rival political parties of instigating the riots in October, which left more than 70 injured- an allegation that he has vehemently denied.

Vaid, in the posters, has asked people to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s path by joining the BJP and work for Trilokpuri’s development.

Vaid has been accused of holding a meeting with a large gathering at block 21, minutes before the violence broke out. Vaid has however denied any role in the riots and claimed that he was the one who informed police about the tense situation in the area.

The new posters were placed just beside another large poster of BJP President Amit Shah, urging residents to attend the Valmiki Milan Sammelan which was held at the Talkatora stadium on December 2. During the function Shah had urged people from the Valmiki community to join the party.

CCTV CAMERAS AFTER IRON GATES

A sense of insecurity has crept into the minds of the residents in the aftermath of the riots. After iron gates, CCTV cameras too have started to make an appearance in the locality.

The residents of block 15 and shop owners have collected money and installed four CCTV cameras on the roads leading to their colony. “We have collected money and bought the CCTV cameras. There is plan to purchase more cameras. Henceforth, any miscreant indulging in violence will be captured on tape,” said Mohammed Abid, a resident of the area.

The absence of reliable surveillance handicapped the police from bringing to book the rioters of the riots. They had to rely on blurry images caught on mobile phones
to nab some of the perpetrators.

But what about the rest who got away, residents wonder.