Speaking at the release of the report, Mukherjee underlined that the Delhi Police allowed the rioters to continue with impunity and they followed the policy of omission by commission. This injustice was added to by the AAP-led Delhi government which miserably failed to provide adequate relief to victims of the violence. It has also not been able to prevent harassment and fair investigation of riot-related cases over the last two years.“People who were holding sticks for self-defence were picked up and called rioters. The best of us are rotting in jails,” said Philipose.The government has done “precious little to bridge the communal divide between the two communities”, added Mukherjee. The breakdown of friendships across religions that once existed was deeply regretted. Talking about her Hindu classmates at the tribunal, a teenager noted, “It’s not the same anymore, we don’t visit each other’s homes anymore.”She pointed out that although a lot of the rioters came from outside her neighbourhood, the fact that Muslim homes were individually torched or looted also indicated that some people from within the neighbourhood did play a role in identifying them. “Our homes bore no symbols or name plates, so how did the rioters know which families to attack?” she asked.It was noted that the riots broke out when many students were facing their board examinations. With no learning assistance, concessions or guidance provided by the state at that point, a lot of students just dropped out of the schooling system. This happened not only because of all-pervading fear but also because their books and school certificates were burnt by the mobs.A young 23-year-old man from Khajuri Khas spoke about the harassment he has faced over the past two years. Today, he has been forced to give up on his education and ply an e-rickshaw because he is the sole bread-earner of the family.Among the testimonies was one from an 18-year-old who was shot at during the violence on February 25, 2020, in Kardampuri when he unwittingly got caught up in a crowd when he had gone to visit the family shop with his father. His distraught father tried to rush him to hospital. It was an extended ordeal for the father since no ambulances were allowed inside localities hit by the violence.
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