Rumours of violence spark panic in west Delhi; police deny claims, but shopkeepers down shutters to reach home early

New Delhi: Panic gripped the residents of several parts of west Delhi on Sunday evening following false rumours of violence but the Delhi Police denied any incident and appealed people to remain calm. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it had shut down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations but did not give any reason. The stations were later reopened. “A rumour has been noticed that there is some tension in Khyala-Raghubir Nagar area of West District. There is no truth behind it. All are requested to keep calm as the situation is absolutely normal & peaceful,” DCP West Deepak Purohit said. [caption id=“attachment_5495811” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Delhi Police. Reuters[/caption] “There are some rumours regarding some communal tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala area. It is intimated that there is no tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala and whole west Distt area. Nothing to worry about,” he added. Police said some “unsubstantiated reports” of tension in southeast and west districts were circulated on the social media. “It is to reiterate that these are all rumours. Don’t pay attention to such rumours. Delhi Police is closely monitoring accounts spreading rumours and taking action,” they said, adding that rumours about tension in Dwarka and Badarpur areas were also “unsubstantiated”. Shopkeepers downed shutters and people rushed to reach home early in several areas including Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri and Khyala in west Delhi. Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh too urged people to remain calm. “I reached at the site as soon as I heard of the rumour of riots, shops were shut people were in a state of panic but no one saw any riots happening. It was a conspiracy to spread rumours and spoil the atmosphere. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood and do not believe the rumours,” he said. Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Subhash Nagar, said he had gone to a mall in west Delhi when at around 7:45 pm, he witnessed sudden commotion. “The outlets inside the mall began shutting down and the situation remained tense for nearly 20 minutes before the police arrived and assured everyone that the situation was normal,” he said. Meanwhile, the metro stations which were briefly shut down included Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada metro stations.