Anti-CAA stir: Anxious wait for Friday
Delhi remained relatively peaceful on Wednesday amid heightened tension and with the police and Central forces staging flag march in Northeast Delhi’s Seelampur and Jafrabad to maintain law and order in the areas.
Jamia Millia Islamia witnessed protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) but they remained peaceful with the Delhi Police keeping a strict vigil.
The main worry of police is upcoming Friday. Police, along with elders of the community, in Jamia and Seelampur areas interacted with heads of mosques and madrasas in city and urged them to appeal to locals to maintain “peace and harmony”.
Police interacted with Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari of Jama Masjid and Mufti Muqarram, the Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri mosque, to ensure peace. Sources said police officers have impressed upon the Shahi Imams and Imams of other mosques in the Capital not to deliver fiery Friday sermons that may further vitiate the atmosphere.
Witnessing violence a day earlier in North-East Delhi, police imposed section 144 of Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC) in the area. Police on Wednesday indicated that people with criminal backgrounds had been part of the protest and could have incited the violence.
Meanwhile, anti-Government posters surfaced on the walls of Jamia with protest outside the university continued for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
The protesters, including students and local residents, hung a large map of India outside the university gate number 7 showing the places where students from other universities across the country are carrying out protests against the CAA.
According to police, prohibitory orders have been imposed in northeast Delhi as a precautionary measure barring areas under two police stations — Harsh Vihar and Sonia Vihar. Under the orders, Assembly of four or more people is prohibited.
“Section 144 has been invoked in North East district. The police undertook flag march. People are appealed to maintain peace and harmony and not to lend credence to rumours,” the DCP office (northeast) tweeted.
Schools and shops in some markets of the area opened on Wednesday morning. Police maintained a tight vigil to ensure that the situation remained under control even as uneasy calm prevailed in the area. Meanwhile police have also registered third First Information Report (FIR) in the Seelampur-Jafrabad violence which took place on Tuesday. The FIR has been filed in connection with the incident of stone pelting in the Brajpuri area. Earlier, two FIRs had already been filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code for rioting and causing damage to public property at Seelampur and Jafrabad police stations.
According to a senior police official, police have arrested eight people in connection with the violence that ensued in Seelampur and Jafrabad on Tuesday.
“Five persons were arrested for Seelampur and Jafrabad incidents, while one was arrested late night for the Dayalpur incident. Two persons were arrested on Wednesday,” said the senior police official.
“Police have taken 18 persons into preventive custody. The men were taken into preventive custody since there was a possibility of them indulging in mischief. Further police teams are conducting raids to nab the remaining miscreants,’ said the senior police official.
On Wednesday, during the day the Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel have been patrolling the area in groups to ensure situation remains peaceful. The police had also appealed to people to maintain peace and not to pay attention to rumours.
Angry protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship law had torched several motor bikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur area on Tuesday afternoon.
Police had 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.