Delhi violence: A narrow lane in Chaman Park is victims' new home

Shiv Vihar is shrouded in unearthly quiet. Hasmuda Ansari's beloved Masjid has been burnt to crisp inside

Amakeshift bamboo gate and a few tired men guard a narrow lane in northeast Delhi’s Chaman Park. This is where several hundred women and children who managed to flee with their lives and little more from the neighbouring Shiv Vihar, an area that had still not been sanitised by the police, are camping. Their menfolk are sleeping in the masjid in the neighbouring street and spend their time standing guard over their families. Local residents have offered living space, food, even medical help to them. They wonder how long they can sustain this effort. Also the conditions are so crowded