How Muslim Neighbours Stood Guard For An Almost Called-Off Hindu Wedding In Riot-Hit Chand Bagh

The Delhi riots brought out some of the worst in humankind - from murders to brutal assaults and torching of houses, shops, and cars.

It also brought out some of the best of human behaviour - where ordinary men and women put humanity and brotherhood first and walked the extra mile to help their neighbours in need, irrespective of their religion.

Savitri Prasad a resident of Chand Bagh, one of the worst affected areas in the four days of violence has one such story to share. The 23-year-old was all set to get married on Tuesday when unprecedented violence broke out in the neighbourhood.

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Due to the violence and tensions that gripped the area, the family living in a Muslim-majority area was forced to cancel her wedding. But then the family got a unexpected support - from their Muslim neighbours.

Savitri's father then organised the wedding on Wednesday, saying his Muslim neighbours were family and he was comforted by their presence. "My Muslim brothers are protecting me today," Savitri told a Reuters, breaking down again as her family and neighbours comforted her.

On Wednesday, the rituals took place at Savitri's home, which is close to the main street that looked like a war zone, with cars and shops vandalised and the area littered with rocks used in pitched battles between mobs on both sides. "We went to the terrace and just saw smoke and more smoke," Bhoday Prasad, Savitri's father, said of the scene on Monday and Tuesday.

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"It is terrifying. We just want peace." Bhoday Prasad said he has lived in the area for years alongside Muslims without any trouble. "We don't know who the people behind the violence are, but they are not my neighbours. There is no enmity between Hindus and Muslims here."

On Monday evening, the day Savitri was to have henna applied on her hands in a pre-wedding ritual, violence had already spiralled out of control. "We could hear a lot of commotion outside, but I had the henna applied, hoping things would be better next day," she said. Instead, they got worse. Her father told the groom and his family it was too dangerous to come to the house.

"Our heart pains for her, who would want their daughter to be sitting home crying when she is supposed to be happy?" said Sameena Begum, one of the neighbours.

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Savitri¡¯s father said he decided to organise a scaled-down ceremony. "Hindu or Muslim, we are all humans and we are all terrified of the violence," said Savitri's cousin Pooja, as she helped the bride dress for the ceremony. "This fight was not about religion, but it has been made so."

Neighbours gathered to offer blessings as the groom arrived and the wedding rituals took place, with a Hindu priest reciting holy verses and the groom and bride taking the rounds of a small pyre set up inside the house.

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"We live peacefully with our Hindu brothers," said Aamir Malik, who was standing guard with several other men outside the home. "We are everything for them. It's been like that. We are here for them."

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Following an exchange of garlands, Savitri, her husband and his family were escorted out of the alleys by her family and neighbours. "Today, none of our relatives could attend my daughter's wedding," said Bhoday Prasad. "But our Muslim neighbours are here. They are our family."