Two children died in separate Delhi-NCR tragedies, exposing stark inequalities in urban safety, civic infrastructure and governance. Confronted with this systemic collapse of public infrastructure, India’s affluent classes have largely abandoned the idea of demanding civic accountability. I had barely entered college in 2002, when the Godhra train burning happened. I was returning to Vadodara from Anand the day after the massacre. I can still remember the smoke-filled sky above.