It was on February 23 that the 2020 Delhi riots were instigated and went on for seven long days. A clash between the supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and those who were against it turned communal. Where do we begin to tell you the anguish suffered by Indians in those two days? Homes were ransacked, shops were razed to the ground and over 107 lives were lost, among which were 66 Muslims. The areas where Hindus and Muslims lived peacefully continues to be wrought with tension.
Though anti-CAA protests were widespread throughout the country, with protestors stating that CAA was discriminatory against Muslims, especially when combined with the potent National Register of Citizens (NRC), Delhi Riots 2020 was when it took the ugliest turn. After an "ultimatum" by BJP leader Kapil Mishra, a mod descended on the neighbourhood and sticks, stones, petrol bombs, guns, fire, everything and anything was used while the Delhi police let them have their way. In fact, there were reports of policemen asking men to sing the National Anthem and Vande Mataram.
The fact that something like this could happen in India's capital was heart-breaking. All this while former President of the US Donald Trump was in the country.
Digital waste
Itching to replace a fully-functional phone that is not just in trend anymore? Or are you eyeing a new laptop to replace your old one, though it works perfectly fine? Think again because toxic hi-tech waste is piling up in India. Toxics Link, an environment group on February 23, 2007, brought our attention to this menace when they released a report that stated this fact — 1,50,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year. Do you know what the number is now? Three million tonnes, this makes us the third-largest e-waste producing country in the world. What a waste!
