Anti-CAA stir burns Capital again
New Delhi: Protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) reached Seelampur and Jafrabad areas of North-east Delhi on Tuesday where thousands of protesters torched several motorbikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth. To disperse the crowd, police resorted to baton-charge and fired tear gas shells resulting in several rounds of clashes between the police and the agitators.
Law enforcement agencies, in order to minimise the effect of the demonstration, closed several Metro stations, barricaded key roads connecting the affected areas from central parts of the city by diverting traffic to the arterial stretches besides ensuring huge deployment of the police force. Metro services at Seelampur, Gokulpuri, Jaffrabad and Maujpur-Babarpur, Johri Enclave and Shiv Vihar were suspended for a few hours.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the masses to stop violence while raising their voice against the CAA. The Delhi LG, in a tweet, said: "Appeal to all Delhiites to maintain peace. Do not get involved in any kind of violence and immediately inform the Delhi Police about the violent elements. Violence is not only illegal but also inhuman. Keep raising your voice through peaceful democratic means." In his tweet, the Chief Minister, in his tweet also said: "I appeal to all Delhiites to maintain peace. Violence of any kind cannot be tolerated in a civilised society. Nothing will be achieved by violence. Convey your message peacefully."
As per reports, violence erupted at Jafrabad and Seelampur around 2 pm which spread partially to areas including Welcome, Shastri Park and other adjoining parts. It first began when a group of people targeted a school bus and a cluster bus carrying passengers. The protesters, creating a mob-like situation, were seen pelting stones on both the vehicles plying on the busy route connecting Babarpur to Seelampur. The passengers and other motorists, in order to save themselves, rushed here and there resulting in chaotic traffic jams in the whole area. The violent mob also pelted stones at the office of the North-East DCP and set ablaze the vehicles parked at the premises of the police station.
Scores of protesters sustained injuries during police action, with nearly half-a-dozen policemen also being injured while tackling the crowd. Police also registered two FIRs against unidentified people under rioting and other relevant sections and have detained five persons so far. "We have come here to raise our voice against CAA and NRC. I got injuries on my right leg during police attack," said Faisal Ahmed, a protester.
"In view of ongoing protests in other parts of Delhi, we have tightened the security of the area. When reports of violence came on Tuesday afternoon, we made all-out efforts to control the situation. We have been taking adequate measures to restore peace. We are also keeping a close vigil on every suspicious movement so that any untoward incident can be avoided in the area," Alok Kumar, Joint CP, Eastern Range told Millennium Post.
Sources here said the Delhi Police used drones to survey the actual ground situation so that they could be ready for any untoward incident. However, the usage of drones has not yet been confirmed by the Delhi Police but they were seen hovering near the affected areas.
