I knew that the mob would not see us if we moved from terrace to terrace, says Mushtari Khatoon

NEW DELHI: Mushtari Khatoon mostly stays at home, doing stitching jobs to supplement her husband’s income. The 42-year-old doesn’t often venture out.

On Tuesday (February 25), when her family members needed help, Mushtari walked a kilometre through roads that had fallen to the mobs, managed to dodge stones and petrol bombs, and got past rioting groups to get to trapped members of her extended family in Khajuri Khas . There were 40 of them and Mushtari managed to get everyone out safely, showing great presence of mind to move the group along terraces of houses till they reached a police team that gave them safe passage.

In Chandu Nagar , where she and her husband, Hakeem, live, Mushtari has since become a household name. Neighbours call her “a hero”.

“I knew if someone didn’t go to them, they would lose their lives,” Mushatri said on Saturday, back home, relieved that her young nieces and nephews are unhurt. The worst clashes of the riots in north-east Delhi were reported on Monday and Tuesday and one of the most-affected areas was Khajuri Khas, where arsonists have left many houses burnt beyond recognition.

“I waited for the whole of Monday. On Tuesday, I left early in the morning,” said Mushtari. Khajuri Khas is on the main Karawal road — where mobs had gathered — from Chandu Nagar.

When she reached the house where her relatives were, Mushtari realised there was no way out through the streets. The mobs were everywhere, attacking each other and setting cars, bikes and houses on fire.

“We were trapped. The next four hours were tense because mobs were going berserk around us,” Mushtari said. While they waited, the family members coordinated to ensure everyone gathered at one place.

“When the mob grew closer, I asked them to jump from the terrace of one building to the other. The possibility of the mob seeing us was less if we moved along the terraces (the houses here are cheek by jowl and the terraces sometimes continuous). I had called people from our neighbourhood for help to get us out. The women who were with me were scared and someone had to guide them,” said Mushtari, who managed to hold her nerve through the escape till they met a police team, which gave them a passage across the main road so that they could reach Chandu Nagar. Along with police were over 100 people from Chandu Nagar who escorted Mushtari and the others back.

Mushtari saved eight families, all related, that day. Mohammad Minhaj , a nephew of Hakeem, was in that group. “The families have lived in Khajuri Khas for many years. The situation became tense on Sunday evening but we stayed back. Now, we are not sure if we will be able to go back there,” he said.

Mushtari said she wasn’t scared; all she was focused on getting her family members out. “We were getting no help despite our pleas. There were men with lathis and petrol bombs and police were nowhere to be seen for over a day. If I hadn’t take the decision, many lives would have been lost,” she said.

“There are so many children in our family, and most of them are girls. My wife insisted she wants to go and help them out. It is something to be proud of,” said Hakeem, who works as a labourer.

