New Delhi: Fresh violence tore through northeast Delhi, killing eight more people on Tuesday and taking the toll in the communal clashes over the amended citizenship law to 13.
The 13 killed include Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal. While Lal died of gunshot wounds, it is still not yet clear what killed the others.
With US President Donald Trump also in the city, Delhi Police ramped up security. It fired teargas shells to disperse the rioters - armed with stones, rods and even swords and many wearing helmets to protect themselves - and was assisted by paramilitary personnel.
The police said 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence in northeast Delhi, and the force is responding to incidents involving anti-social elements
Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa said the situation in northeast Delhi is under control, even as several parts of the area continued to reel under violence. Over 20 persons have been detained and one person arrested till now, police said.
Sixty-seven companies of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the area, police sources said.
"We received calls from Gokalpuri, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Karawal Nagar about such incidents and our force was deployed there.
Randhawa said 56 police personnel sustained injuries, including two IPS officers.
DCP (Shahdara) Amit Sharma sustained head injuries and is under medical observation.
He also said 130 civilians have been injured and admitted to hospitals.
He appealed to people to maintain peace, cooperate with police and not to pay heed to rumours.
To take control of the situation in the city, IPS officer S N Shrivastava has been appointed as the new Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Law and Order) after the Union Home Ministry repatriated him from the CRPF on Tuesday night, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory to all private satellite TV channels asking them to be cautious about content that may incite violence or promote "anti-national" attitudes.
CBSE exam postponed
Following the violence here, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has postponed the board exams for Class 10 and 12 scheduled on Wednesday in violence-affected northeast Delhi.
Private and government schools in violence affected North East Delhi will continue to be closed on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Tuesday.
Sisodia, who is also the education minister of Delhi, said all internal examinations have been postponed by schools.
High-level meeting held
As the violence continued unabated, police officials said the situation was under control and flag marches were conducted in Bhajanpura, Khajuri Khas and other places.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Police chief Amulya Patnaik and others to address the situation.
The meeting resolved that workers of political parties should join hands to restore peace and peace committees should be reactivated in all localities.
Kejriwal, who later held a meeting with senior officials and MLAs of all parties to discuss the situation, asked people to refrain from violence and said all issues can be dealt with through dialogue.
"Stop this madness," he said after visiting the injured in GTB Hospital.
"I have met the people who were injured, also met some people who sustained bullet injuries. The biggest concern is to stop the violence. I appeal to everyone to stop the violence," he said.
Journalist shot at
The media also came under attack during the violence.
Akshay, a journalist with JK 24X7 News, received a bullet injury and was in a serious condition in hospital, and two reporters from NDTV were beaten and punched by rioters. Many other journalists were heckled and told to go back.
"There is hardly any police presence in the area. Rioters are running around threatening people, vandalising shops. Families need to be evacuated. We are unsafe in our own homes," said a resident of Maujpur, requesting anonymity.
Another added that this is the first time in 35 years - possibly since the 1984 anti-Sikh riots - that he has seen a situation such as this. "The area had always remained peaceful," he told PTI.
Around 5pm in Chand Bagh, security personnel were pelted with stones. They chased the mob, only to be attacked afresh with some people also armed with petrol bombs.
A few residents in Yamuna Vihar and Jaffrabad told PTI they had seen rioters with swords in their hands.
Among those killed was Vinod Kumar, a resident of Ghonda who was brought dead to the hospital and whose body is at the morgue of the Jag Parvesh Hospital.
Also killed was Mohammad Furkan from Kardampuri, near Jafrabad, who got married in 2014 and has two children. His brother, Mohammed Imran, overcome with grief, said they were both in the handicrafts business.
Imran blamed BJP leader Kapil Mishra's tweet, giving Delhi Police an ultimatum to clear the streets of protesters and saying people would be quiet only until Trump left India.
"Before that everything was peaceful," he said.
SC, HC to hear pleas
The pleas relating to the north-east Delhi violence reached the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court on Tuesday and they will hear the matter on Wednesday.
The first plea was mentioned in the apex court on behalf of former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and others who sought direction to the police to lodge FIRs on complaints regarding the ongoing violence over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
A bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph will hear it the fresh application on Wednesday when it will also take up the pleas seeking removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh, on which the court-appointed interlocutors have filed a report in sealed cover.
Shortly after the mentioning in the apex court, a similar plea filed by human rights activist Harsh Mander and activist Farah Naqvi was mentioned before the high court, which also agreed to hear it on Wednesday.
Mander and Naqvi have also sought registration of FIRs and arrest of persons involved in the ongoing violence north-east Delhi over CAA.
The petition before the high court specifically sought action against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra for allegedly making hate speeches and inciting violence.
The fresh application, filed in the apex court by Habibullah, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and social activist Bahadur Abbas Naqvi, has also sought direction to the authorities to provide adequate security and ensure safety of women protestors at Shaheen Bagh and other places in the national capital.
They have already filed an intervention application in the top court in the pending plea seeking removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh.
In their fresh application, they have alleged that on February 23, "Kapil Mishra, who is known for making speeches to instigate crowds with violence and vandalism, carried out a pro-CAA rally next to the Maujpur-Babarpur metro station which is 2km away from peaceful protests that were going on at Jaffrabad".
Kapil Mishra's 'hate speech'
BJP leader Kapil Mishra, a former AAP MLA who unsuccessfully contested the recent Assembly polls on a BJP ticket from Model Town, led a gathering in support of the CAA at Maujpur Chowk in Jafarabad area on Sunday, after which violence erupted between pro and anti CAA groups.
During his pro-CAA demonstration at Maujpur Chow, Mishra had also issued an ultimatum to police to vacate the roads blocked by anti-CAA protesters in Jafarabad and Bhahanpura areas in three days, warning that he will come back on the streets if no action was taken.
East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir condemned the violence over the amended citizenship law, and demanded strict action against anyone, including his party colleague Kapil Mishra, if they gave "provocative" speeches.
The MP also asked those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act to initiate dialogue with the government instead of indulging in violence.
(With inputs from PTI.)
