Delhi Violence: Toll 34; Manmohan says 'national shame', Sonia calls Centre, Delhi govt 'mute spectators'

A delegation of senior Congress leaders, led by party chief Sonia Gandhi, met President Ram Nath Kovind to seek normalcy and peace in violence-hit Delhi as the death toll rose to 34 on Thursday, PTI reported. The delegation, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad as well as Ahmed Patel and Randeep Surjewala, also submitted a memorandum to the president.

On the other hand, a war of words broke out between the Congress and BJP over the transfer of Justice Muralidharan, who had earlier ordered an FIR against BJP leaders accused of delivering hate speeches. While the Congress said the government was "drunk on power" and was "muzzling the judiciary", Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said a "well-settled process" was followed.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the riot-affected Shiv Vihar as over 200 people were injured in the riots, after an alleged clash between pro-and anti-CAA groups. Earlier, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, accompanied by senior Delhi Police officers, had visited the affected areas, going door to door and assuring residents of safety. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he "had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi." Admitting that the Delhi police could not bring the situation under control, BJP sources said the government was keen on putting the "administration" into action to contain the violence.

(Inputs from indianexpress.com)