Hazra Begum has been living in fear since witnessing men chanting Hindu religious slogans hack, bludgeon and burn Muslims to death in Delhi's worst sectarian riots in decades.
Ten days after the violence, she is among 1,000 people at a squalid relief camp too scared to go home, wondering if the mixed Hindu-Muslim areas where the violence took place will ever recover.
"I can't trust anyone now," she told said as she sobbed at the makeshift camp in an open prayer ground in the Mustafabad area of the Indian capital that was the epicentre of the unrest.
"I will never forget how these men wearing helmets and chanting Jai Shree Ram (Hail Lord Ram) shouted 'kill the Muslims, don't spare any of them.'"
At least 50 people died in the riots on February 24-25, over two-thirds of them from India's 200-million-strong Muslim minority, according to hospital lists. One policeman was also killed.
Critics blame prime minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist ruling party for stirring animosity between communities that have co-existed largely peacefully for decades.
Modi, 69, who was chief minister of Gujarat state in 2002 when around 1,000 people perished in religious riots, insists he wants to protect India's secular tradition.
- 'One-sided' -
For the most part, it was the Muslims who were the victims. They were shot, stabbed, beaten to death or burned in their shops and homes in rundown districts of northeast Delhi.
The government-appointed Delhi Minorities Commission said it was "one-sided and well-planned", with "maximum damage... on Muslim houses and shops with local support."
But there was violence on both sides.
In Ashok Nagar, a Hindu-dominated locality, anger was palpable as men complained how no one was highlighting their plight.
"Our homes and shops have also been burnt, our people have died as well. A Hindu (security) official was stripped and stabbed to death," said Dharam Veer.
"But no one seems to care about us. Everyone is saying only Muslims were targeted. This is not the case, as you can see."
Both sides agree, though, that the police were slow to act. Some even accuse them of helping Hindu rioters as they went on the rampage with Molotov cocktails and pouches of acid.
- All change -
Such is the fear of more violence that some Muslims, even those who do not live where the riots took place, are changing their habits, their appearance and even their names.
"There seems little hope (of things getting better). Things have only gone downhill since 2014," when Modi was first elected, said a 26-year-old journalist who asked not to be named.
"From lynchings to rioting, the minorities, particularly Muslims, are being persecuted with impunity. The hate has entered our households."
Student Salim, 23, said that he has changed his name on apps for ride-sharing services Ola and Uber to make it sound less Muslim to avoid arguments or even violence.
"I am more conscious about being a Muslim now than I was five years ago," he said.
"I'll leave this country when I get the opportunity. I know that Muslims are not safe anywhere in the world but living here has just become humiliating."
Recent graduate Noor, 27, said that her mother had decided not to wear the Islamic burqa on an upcoming trip out of town.
"This is a woman who never shied away from wearing the burqa. She used to wear it during our school parent-teacher meetings... the fear now is something else," she said.
Reports said men were being made to drop their trousers to prove their religion since Muslims are often circumcised but Hindus are not.
Farhan Zaidi, 30, a marketing professional, said he was considering shaving off his beard and he and his friends now use Hindu-sounding names in public.
"The problem with Muslim men is that your identity is in your pants," he said. "In reality, if I am caught, then there is no escape."
BBC Asian Network is starting a new show called Asian Network Trending.
The show runs for two hours every week and is made for young British Asians.
It covers the topics that matter most to them like what’s trending online, questions of identity, mental health etc.
Amber Haque and the other hosts will share the show in turns, each talking about the issues they know and care about.
The network is moving to Birmingham as part of bigger changes behind the scenes.
Speaking up isn’t always easy. This show gives young people a space where their voices can be heard. Music on the radio, sure. Bhangra, Bollywood hits, endless remixes. But real conversations about identity, family pressure, mental health? Rarely. Until now.
From 27 October, Asian Network Trending goes live every Wednesday night for two hours of speech instead of beats. The first hour dives into trending news; the second hour goes deeper into family expectations, workplace racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and mental health stigma. And it’s not just one voice. Amber Haque and other rotating presenters keep it fresh.
Young British Asians finally hearing voices that reflect their experiences and challenges Gemini AI
What exactly is Asian Network Trending?
Two shows in one, really.
First hour: The hot takes. Social media buzzing? Celebrity drama? Immigration news? Covered while it’s relevant.
Second hour: The deep dive. One topic per week, unpacked with guests and people who know what they are talking about. Mental health, dating outside culture, career pressures, unspoken hierarchies, all of it finally getting the airtime it deserves.
Head of Asian Network Ahmed Hussain said the new show was designed to give space for thoughtful and relevant conversation. “It’s a bold new space for speech, discussion and current affairs that reflects the voices, concerns and passions of British Asians today,” he said.
Why go for a rotating hosts format?
It is because you can’t sum up the “British Asian experience” with just one voice. A kid in Leicester whose family speaks Gujarati has a very different life from a Punjabi speaker in Southall and a Muslim teen’s day-to-day reality isn’t the same as a Hindu’s or Sikh’s. Then there’s money, family pressures, school, work, and everyone is navigating their own different path.
Why now? Why speech radio?
British Asians are visible, sure. Big festivals, business power, cultural moments. Yet mainstream media often treats the community like a footnote.
Music connects to heritage, yes. But it can’t talk about why your mum nags about you becoming a doctor when you want to study film. Radio forces that engagement, intimacy, and honesty.
Surveys back it up. 57% of British South Asians feel they constantly have to prove they are English. 96% say accent and name affect perception. This show is a platform for those contradictions to exist out loud.
Who’s on air and why does it matter?
Amber Haque is first up, but the rotating system means different voices each week. BBC Three and Channel 4 experience under her belt helps navigate sensitive topics without preaching.
Representation isn’t just faces. It’s who decides what stories get told, who gets to question, who sets the tone. Asian Network Trending is designed to widen that lens, not narrow it.
What topics will the show cover?
Identity and belonging: balancing Britishness and South Asian heritage.
Mental health: breaking taboos in families.
Careers: that awkward "but why?" when you mention graphic design and the side hustle your parents call a hobby.
Relationships: the 'who's their family?' interrogation and the quiet terror before saying you're gay.
Community: the aunty and her "fairness cream" comments or the gap between your life and your grandparents' world.
Challenges and stakes
British South Asians aren’t all the same. Differences in religion, language, region, and class make their experiences varied and complex. Cover one slice and you alienate the rest. Go too safe and the younger audience won’t listen. Go too risky and conservative backlash is real.
Another big challenge: resources are tight.
Speech radio costs money: producers, researchers, fact checks.
Can it sustain deep conversations without cutting corners? That is the test.
What could success look like?
Not just ratings. Real impact: young people hear themselves articulated, families spark conversations, new voices get a platform and ultimately policymakers listen. Even a single clip prompting debate online counts. The proof is in that engagement, in messy human response, not charts.
A mic, not a manifesto
This launch isn’t a cure-all. It’s a step, a loud, messy one. It hands the mic to people who mostly spoke filtered, cautious words. Let it stumble, argue, and surprise. Let it be uncomfortable. If it does that even sometimes, it has already done its job. Because for the first time, British Asian youth get to hear themselves, not through music, not as a statistic, but as real, living voices.
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