Protest turns violent in Delhi

Protesters agitating against the amended Citizenship Act clashed with the police on Sunday and set afire three public buses and a fire tender in New Friends’ Colony in south-east Delhi, leaving a policeman and two fire-service personnel injured, police said.

The trouble started during a protest by students of Jamia Millia Islamia. But a students’ body later said they had nothing to do with the violence and arson, alleging that “certain elements” joined and “disrupted” the demonstration.

The protesters torched buses with at least three of them being damaged completely and a fire tender also damaged, police said.

A Delhi Fire Services official said four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. One of them was completely damaged and two personnel were injured, he said. Plumes of smoke billowed from the torched buses as firemen tried to douse the blaze.

Violence unacceptable: CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said any kind of violence is unacceptable and protests should remain peaceful.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed entry and exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar station due to the violent protest.

According to Saimon Farooqui, national secretary of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India, the protesters were peacefully sitting on Mathura Road when policemen tried to “trouble” a couple of protesters, who resisted. Thereafter, the police lathi-charged the protesters and used tear-gas, he alleged. The clash disrupted traffic in the area with several vehicles stranded for hours.

Meanwhile, the Jamia Teachers’ Association appealed to the students to keep away from “direction-less” protests led by “local political leaders“.