Angry protesters demanding scrapping of the amended Citizenship Act and the police clashed on Tuesday, 17 December, in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur area. The protesters reportedly torched several motor bikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth, according to PTI.
Police resorted to baton charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Plumes of smoke billowed from at least two localities as the standoff continued for around one-and-a-half hours. Police said the situation has been brought under control.
According to a senior police officer, the protest began at around 12 pm, and the protesters were marching from Seelampur towards Zaffrabad. The protesters raised slogans against the new law as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC). They said two bikes of traffic cops were burnt by the demonstrators, adding a police booth in the area was vandalised and CCTV cameras installed were taken away by the mob.
Faisal Ahmed, a protestor, was quoted by PTI as saying, “we have come here to raise our voice against CAA and NRC. I got injuries on my right leg during police attack.” Police said there were initially small groups of people who started the protest against the CAA and they went in lanes and bylanes of Seelampur.
“When they started dispersing, suddenly stones were hurled. We made several requests to them not to pelt stones, but they did not relent, forcing us to use tear gas to disperse them.”
By the time they came on the Zaffrabad main road, there were almost 3,000 people and the police were escorting them.
An officer said some police personnel were injured and the windshields of two buses were damaged by the mob. A Rapid Action Force bus was pelted with stones.
When asked about the damage to property due to the violence, the police said they are in the process of taking stock of destruction caused by protestors.
Metro Operations Halted, Disruption in Traffic Movement
Entry and exit gates at as many as seven metro stations in northeast Delhi were closed on Tuesday in view of the protest. Later, the Delhi Metro tweeted that the entry and exit gates of Seelampur have been opened.
Security Update
Entry & exit gates of Seelampur and Gokulpuri are closed. Trains will not be halting at these stations.
— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) December 17, 2019
Security Update
All entry & exit gates of Seelampur are open.
— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) December 17, 2019
Traffic movement was also closed on a 66-feet road from Seelampur to Jafrabad (both carriageways) due to the demonstration, the traffic police said.
AAP Appeals for Calm
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to Delhiites to maintain peace, saying violence cannot be tolerated in a civilised society.
The Aam Aadmi Party and its Seelampur MLA Haji Ishraq urged the people to register their protest peacefully after the area witnessed violence.
“I am appealing all the people to register protest and convey their message peacefully,” Ishraq said in a video message.
He urged locals and youngsters not to venture out on the main roads of the area to protest.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said people should maintain peace and protest peacefully.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
