The police cleared an anti-Citizenship Act protest site in North East Delhi on Tuesday evening as violent clashes in the district entered the third day. Thirteen people have died so far in the district since Monday afternoon. Late in the evening, unidentified people shouting “Jai Shri Ram” torched Muslim houses in a slum in Gokulpuri.
The protest had started in Jaffrabad locality on Saturday night. On Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra gave police a three-day ultimatum to get it cleared, soon after which supporters of the Citizenship Act started clashing with those opposing it, in various parts of the district. Clashes continued on Monday and Tuesday, with stones being pelted and vehicles and shops being set on fire. Dozens of people are being treated for injuries in hospital.
Scroll.in reporters in one of the affected areas witnessed Hindu mobs throwing stones and petrol bombs at Muslim homes across the road in Kabir Nagar, near Maujpur. Journalists were also attacked and many forced to delete pictures and videos from their phones.
10.47 pm: Muslim settlements in a slum in Ganga Vihar in Gokulpuri have been set on fire, Newslaundry reports. People from Hindu households say men chanting “Jai Shri Ram” came around 9:30 pm and set fire to the Muslim households.
10.31 pm: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur says that only those who are ready to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai” will be allowed to live in India, The Indian Express reports. “Only that person who says Bharat Mata ki Jai will stay in India…and the one who does not say it, who will oppose India, will not respect the Constitution, will repeatedly dishonour it, there is definitely a need to think about them,” he tells reporters.
10.25 pm: An unrepentant Kapil Mishra says he did not do anything wrong by supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act. Mishra, in a series of tweets, claims that a “massive hate campaign” has been initiated against him for “speaking truth”.
“I have received calls by many to kill me,” Mishra tells PTI. “Many people including politicians and journalists are abusing me. But, I am not scared because I have not done anything wrong.”
10.10 pm: The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory to all private television channels asking them to be cautious in telecasting any content which is likely to encourage or incite violence, contains an attack on any religious community or contains half-truths, ANI reports.
10.06 pm: A person who did not wish to be identified has told Scroll.in that their relative who resides in Chand Bagh area expressed concern after a mosque was torched on the afternoon of February 25. The relative lives in a Muslim-dominated locality. “The general sentiment was that the mob would not dare enter,” the person says.
However, between 3.30 pm and 4 pm, the relative called in panic alleging that a mob had collected outside the lane surrounding the locality in Chand Bagh, the person says. She adds that her aunt and uncle locked themselves in the house, and some Muslim men carrying staffs fell back soon inside the lane. In the evening, the police fired teargas shells, she alleged.
10 pm: Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari appeals to all the party leaders to work towards establishing peace in the national capital and not to do anything that causes “confusion” and sends a “wrong message” to people, PTI reports. Tiwari, who attended a meeting held by Amit Shah, also asks BJP leaders not to make inflammatory statements.
9.53 pm: The Delhi Minorities Commission writes to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, asking for imposition of curfew in violence-affected areas, The Indian Express reports. In a letter to Baijal, the commission’s chairperson Zafarul-Islam Khan expresses apprehension that violence may escalate after the departure of Donald Trump on Tuesday night.
9.47 pm: Aslam Khan, the deputy commissioner of police of North West Delhi says that no mosque in the Ashok Vihar area has been burnt, contrary to reports, which he described as fake news. He asks people not to spread false information.
9.36 pm: The Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to postpone Class 10 and Class 12 exams in North East Delhi district, ANI reports. The exams were to begin on Wednesday.
9.34 pm: Indian Police Service officer SN Shrivastava has been appointed as the new Delhi Police special commissioner (law and order) after the Union home ministry repatriated him from the Central Reserve Police Force earlier on Tuesday, PTI reports.
9.31 pm: The Delhi Police say 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence, PTI reports.
9.11 pm: Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey says Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code has been imposed in the district. Three borders with North East Delhi have been sealed and bars and pubs in the district have been shut.
9.09 pm: Schools in North East Delhi will remain closed on Wednesday, says Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
8.59 pm: The Jaffrabad protest site has been cleared by the Delhi Police, reports The Indian Express.
8.45 pm: Amnesty India urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to unequivocally condemn the recent hate speeches made by politicians and demands that they be held accountable, PTI reports.
8.43 pm: Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court told the Central Board of Secondary Education that children’s safety cannot be put at risk, and asks the board to decide at the earliest on rescheduling Wednesday’s board exam at one of the centres in North East Delhi, PTI reports.
8.31 pm: The toll has risen to 11, PTI reports.
8.23 pm: Some of those who have been killed since Monday afternoon have been identified as Head Constable Rattan Lal and civilians Shahid Khan, Mohammed Furqaan, Nazim, Rahul Solanki and Vinod, The Hindu reports.
8 pm: A mosque was set on fire in Ashok Nagar locality of North East Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, as clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act continued for the third straight day, The Wire reports. A mob shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and “Hinduon ka Hindustan [A Hindustan of Hindus]” paraded around the burning mosque, and a “Hanuman flag” was placed on top of the building, according to the news website. More details here.
7.55 pm: In Chand Bagh, fresh incidents of arson and stone-pelting were reported this evening, according to The Indian Express.
7.25 pm: Paramilitary troops have been patrolling in riot-affected areas. Here are some pictures:
7.15 pm: An SOS alert has been sent out from Mustafabad area after a protest site was set on fire. Women stuck inside have sent out an appeal seeking help from fire brigades, the police and media persons.
7.04 pm: A high alert has been sounded in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, following clashes in Delhi, News18 reports. Lucknow Commissioner of Police Sujeet Pandey says additional forces have been deployed in Ghantaghar area where women and others have been staging a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Security has also been beefed up in Aligarh.
6.59 pm: Delhi Police PRO MS Randhawa says the police is investigating BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s speech, in which he threatened to take to the streets if the Jaffrabad protests were not stopped in three days, ANI reports. “It’s under investigation, our top priority was to control the situation which we’ve done,” Randhawa says. “We will investigate all FIRs that have been registered and if a main conspirator is found action will be taken.”
6.48 pm: The Delhi Police have dismissed a PTI story which said that the violence increased due to inadequacy of police forces. In a tweet, the Delhi Police say they have not provided any such information to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
6.38 pm: “Some anti-social elements are responsible for the violence and we are responding accordingly,” Randhawa says according to News18. “We have got additional forces also. Sufficient forces deployed in North East Delhi.”
6.31 pm: Here are some more pictures from the day:
6.26 pm: Delhi Police Public Relations Officer MS Randhawa says that 130 civilians and 56 police personnel have been injured so far, ANI reports.
6.23 pm: The Congress appeals for peace in the national capital. “We appeal to all to maintain peace and condemn this act of violence in Delhi,” its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala says. “Some communal powers, for their political gains, are working towards creating differences using religion. Every Congress worker will help the government maintain peace, law and order in capital.”
6.13 pm: “I want to leave that to India and hopefully they will make the right decision for their people,” Trump says when asked about the Citizenship Amendment Act.
6.05 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has chaired a meeting of representatives of political parties and senior police officers on the ongoing violence in Delhi, the ministry spokesperson says. Shah claims that adequate forces are on the ground and that the situation is under control.
5.55 pm: GTB Hospital officials have said that one more person has died, News18 reports. This takes the toll to 10.
5.44 pm: United States President Donald Trump says that he does not wish to respond to “individual attacks”, as it is up to India to control them, when asked about the violence in North East Delhi district, ANI reports. However, he says he discussed the matter of religious freedom with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The PM said he wants people to have religious freedom,” Trump says. “They have worked really hard on it.”
5.16 pm: Kejriwal and Sisodia are conducting a tour of various hospitals in which the injured have been admitted, News18 reports. Kejriwal says both Hindus and Muslims, as well as policemen, have been hurt in the violence.
5.13 pm: Kejriwal, Sisodia and other AAP leaders have prayed at Rajghat, to end the violence that has engulfed Delhi. Kejriwal tweets that in these times, the people must take inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi.
5.11 pm: Fresh violence has broken out in Gamri area of Delhi, five shops have been burnt and five people have been injured, News18 reports. At least 10 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot.
5.07 pm: Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force are conducting a flag march in Khajuri Khas area.
5.03 pm: “Head Constable Rattan Lal has made a sacrifice for the nation,” Patnaik says at his wreath laying ceremony, ANI reports. “We are proud of his sacrifice. We stand with his family.”
4.57 pm: The Delhi Police has told the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that it did not have adequate forces to immediately control the violence, PTI reports. Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik gave the ministry the information during his meeting with its top brass.
4.52 pm: The toll in the violence has reached nine, ANI reports. “Today four persons have been brought dead, yesterday five people lost their lives,” GTB Hospital Medical Superintendent Sunil Kumar says.
4.48 pm: Those injured in violent clashes are being brought to hospitals on bikes and vans, News18 reports quoting the police. The police claim protestors are blocking their way.
4.45 pm: Here are some images of a road blockade by protestors in Jaffrabad.
4.40 pm: The wreath-laying ceremony of Delhi Police Head Constable Rattan Lal who lost his life during clashes in North East Delhi district on Monday, is underway, ANI reports.
4.34 pm: Mobs at Babarpur chant “suvaron pe lathi chalao, hum tumhare saath hai” (beat the pigs, we are on your side).
4.27 pm: A 14-year-old boy who was hit by a bullet has been waiting for an ambulance in Gokulpuri since 11 am. He had just stepped out of the house to buy breakfast for his family when he was shot.
4.19 pm: An FIR has been filed against a group of people who gathered in Mumbai’s Marine Drive late on Monday night to register their protest against the Delhi violence, PTI reports.
“We have registered an FIR against 20 to 25 unidentified people for unlawful assembly,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Sangramsingh Nishandar says. “No arrest has been made.” The police said they have identified 10 protestors who will be questioned at Marive Drive police station.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operation) Pranay Ashok said that they are “keeping a watch on suspicious activities.”
4.14 pm: Not just Owaisi, but several others too have pointed at the Delhi Police’s lack of action against those perpetrating the violence. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Kejriwal claimed the police could not act as they did not have permission to do so.
Read more: Why was Delhi Police unprepared for Monday’s violence even after BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s threats?
4.11 pm: Asaduddin Owaisi tweets to the Prime Minister’s Office, saying that it is “incumbent on” them that the Army be called in to manage the violence in Delhi. “Cops have abdicated their duty and are colluding with mobs,” he says.
4.05 pm: Stone pelting is being reported from Karadampuri. Witnessed say the protest site has been surrounded on all sides by the a mob with no police in sight.
4 pm: Demonstrators at the sit-in at Shaheen Bagh have appealed for peace, reports News18.
3.45 pm: Shops are closed and several properties have been vandalised and set on fire in Gokulpuri. Here are images:
3.40 pm: Some images from Scroll.in reporters at Gokulpuri.
3.35 pm: The areas affected by violence include Jaffarbad, Maujpur, Yamuna Vihar, Gokulpuri, Bhajanpur, Babarpur, Kardampuri and Vijay Park in northeastern parts of the Capital.
3.30 pm: Another journalist has been injured.
3.20 pm: A van driver and his partner have been stopped and beaten up near Gokulpuri market after being identified by their religion, reports Hindustan Times. Their documents and keys have also been stolen.
3.10 pm: Many witnesses point to a lack of Delhi Police presence in the areas affected by violence, even as Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force personnel have been deployed.
3.05 pm: The lieutenant governor urges people to be peaceful. “Both CM and I want that peace and harmony should remain intact in Delhi,” Anil Baijal tells ANI. “We should do everything possible to maintain peace and order. We should also help Police in this.”
3 pm: Mobs are checking phones for videos in Babarpur while carrying petrol bombs.
2.50 pm: Two NDTV staffers have been injured by a mob attack.
2.45 pm: Scroll.in reporters are witnessing Hindu mobs throwing petrol bombs across the road at Muslim houses in Kabir Nagar.
2.35 pm: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari claims that the violence is part of a conspiracy because of its timing, reports Times Now.
2.26 pm: People with sticks who are wreaking violence in Gokulpuri heard chanting Jai Shri Ram, reports BBC.
2.20pm: Security has been increased on roads leading to areas hit by violence in Brijpuri and Dayalpur.
2.15 pm: More violence is being reported from Shiv Vihar and Ashok Nagar. Witnesses say that there are no police personnel in Ashok Nagar.
2 pm: Two fire tenders have been damaged in Gokukpuri and a bike has been set on fire in Maujpur, The Quint reports.
1.22 pm: A man who opened fire at police during the clashes on Monday, Shahrukh, has been arrested, reports ANI.
1.15 pm: AAP MP Sanjay Singh claims the home minister has “not tried to control the violence”, reports The Indian Express. “It is jungle raj on the streets and police are not even taking calls,” he says.
1.07 pm: The plea has been moved by activist Harsh Mander, according to Live Law.
1.05 pm: The Delhi High Court will hear a plea seeking a judicial inquiry into compensation for 10 deceased victims and action against BJP leaders for making incendiary remarks in connection with the Delhi violence, Live Law reports.
12.58 pm: As the meeting Amit Shah convened ends, Chief Minister Kejriwal says it was a positive one. “Everyone wants that the violence be stopped,” ANI quotes him as saying.
12.55 pm: Two injured people have been taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, says ANI. The two have reportedly suffered gunshot wounds.
12.50 pm: Looting and violence is being reported in Maujpur, Karawal Nagar, Bahajanpura, Vijay Park and Yamuna Vihar in Delhi, says NDTV.
Here is a video from Yamuna Vihar.
12.40 pm: More forces will be sent to Delhi, even as 3,700 personnel have been deployed, reports The Print. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code barring the gathering of more than four people will be in place in the Capital for a month.
12.35 pm: An unidentified resident of Maujpur tells PTI this is the first time he has seen such violence in the area in 35 years.
12.30 pm: BJP MLA Gautam Gambhir, on fellow party leader Kapil Mishra, says, “No matter who the person is, whether he is Kapil Mishra or anyone else, belonging to any party, if he has given any provoking speech then strict action should be taken against him,” The Times of India reports.
Mishra had issued an ultimatum to the police and CAA supporters to clear the Jaffarbad protest area or threatened that “we will take to the streets”.
12.20 pm: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad blames BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s incendiary remarks for the violence the broke out between CAA supporters and opposers. Hindustan Times reports. Azad made the remarks in a petition filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the violence, in which seven people have died so far.
12.05 pm: Stone pelting is taking place at Kabir Nagar in Northeast Delhi, near Maujpur metro station, reports ANI.
11.55 am: Kejriwal says the borders need to be sealed “to prevent outsiders from coming in”, reports PTI.
11.44 am: Paramilitary forces have been sent to Northeast Delhi, reports Times Now.
11.41 am: The chief minister appeals for calm and peace. He says a policeman and several civilians have died in the violence. “I will meet Home Minister Amit Shah at 12 pm”, he says. “Several houses were set on fire and shops were damaged. It is very unfortunate.”
11.40 am: Kejriwal says hospital authorities have been told to give best possible treatment to victims. “Everyone who has been affected or the seven people who died were also from among us, were one of us,” he adds. “I have also asked district magistrates to take out peace march with police in these areas.”
11.37 am: Kejriwal addresses the press after meeting Northeast Delhi MLAs and officials. He says the police are outnumbered and that they cannot take action until they receive orders to do so.
11.35 am: Violence continues in Maujpur area, with shops and cars being set on fire, reports News18.
11.33 am: All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi retweets an article that says he condemns the violence and that the police “sided with ‘rioters’ to pelt stones”.
11.17 am: Security forces have been deployed in Gokulpuri area, reports ANI. Violence had erupted in the locality on Monday.
11.10 am: A meeting is under way at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence as he meets with officials and MLAs of violence-hit areas of the national Capital, reports ANI.
11.07 am: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram strongly condemns the violence that broke out in Northeast Delhi on Monday. “The violence in Delhi yesterday and the loss of lives are most shocking and deserve the strongest condemnation,” he tweets. “Even now it is not too late. The government should listen to the voices of the anti-CAA protesters and declare that the CAA will be kept in abeyance until the Supreme Court pronounced on its validity.”
10.58 am: The petitioners ask for police protection for protestors at Shaheen Bagh following the violence in Northeast Delhi, and ask that FIRs be filed in connection with the violence.
10.55 am: The Supreme Court agrees to hear a plea on the Delhi violence on Wednesday, reports Bar and Bench.
10.46 am: Advocate Mehmood Pracha, in the Supreme Court, says Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad wrote to the lieutenant governor on Monday requesting permission to visit the areas affected by violence, LiveLaw reports.
10.45 am: MLAs and officials reach Kejriwal’s residence for a meeting on the violence.
10.35 am: The Delhi violence will be mentioned before Supreme Court judge SK Kaul, reports Live Law.
10.25 am: Shops are closed in Seelampur and Jaffrabad, where there was massive violence on Monday, reports News18.
10.08 am: Lyricist Javed Akhtar tweets about the situation in Delhi, saying “the level of violence is being increased” in the Capital. “All the Kapil Mishras are being unleashed. An atmosphere is being created to convince an average Delhiite that it is all because of the anti CAA protest and in a few days the Delhi Police will go for “the final solution’.”
10.06 am: Amid board exams, many public and private schools in Northeast Delhi are shut today, reports The Indian Express.
10.04 am: Amit Shah will hold a meeting with the lieutenant governor, chief minister and representatives of political parties, reports ANI. This will be his second meeting in 12 hours amid violence in parts of Delhi.
9.55 am: The shooter from Monday was misidentified as being from the side opposing the Citizenship Act.
Read more here: Delhi violence: Shooter misidentified as part of mob supporting CAA
9.50 am: Violence continues in Delhi’s Maujpur area, reports NDTV. People are being stopped on the road, beaten up and looted. Eyewitnesses say that there is no police in the area.
9.45 am: Rapid Action Force personnel find two empty bullet cartridges at Brahampuri during a search and flag march conducted, reports ANI.
9.30 am: Five metro stations are still closed.
9.15 am: CM Arvind Kejriwal urges the people of Delhi to “shun violence”, on Twitter. He says he is worried about the prevailing situation and has called a meeting of legislators and top officials from the violence-hit areas.
9.10 am: Union Home Minister Amit Shah last night reviewed the situation in the Capital in the wake of violence. The meeting included Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvind Kumar; Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and others, News18 reports.
9.05 am: There has been fresh stone pelting in Maujpur and Brahmpuri areas of Northeast Delhi, reports Hindustan Times. The fire director of Northeast Delhi tells ANI that they received 45 fire calls since yesterday till 3 am today. He says three firemen have been injured and one fire tender set ablaze.
This came after a tyre market at Gokulpuri was set on fire late on Monday after violence broke out in many areas between groups supporting and opposing the CAA.
9 am: Here is what happened on Monday:
- Violence took place in Maujpur, Jaffrabad, Bhajanpura, Kardampuri, Dayalpur and Chandbagh areas – located less than 15 km from the city’s centre – hours before United States President Donald Trump was to reach the national capital.
- The four protestors who died in the clashes suffered bullet injuries and the police constable died due to stone pelting.
- This was the second day clashes broke out. On Sunday evening, there was stone pelting in Jaffrabad soon after Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra gave the police a three-day ultimatum to stop an anti-CAA protest that began on Saturday night. Mishra said he would not listen even to the police after three days.
- Citizenship Amendment Act supporters were seen jumping police barricades, committing arson and attacking a Muslim man. Supporters of the law also destroyed the tents set up by those opposing the law. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” were heard.
- A reporter of Scroll.in saw police personnel fire tear gas shells to disperse anti-CAA protestors around 3.45 pm in Maujpur. However, 500 metres ahead on the same road, she found a pro-CAA group standing undisturbed. The men brandished sticks, one of them carrying a sword. They were playing music and chanted Jai Shri Ram.
- Prohibitory orders were imposed in affected areas, while all private and government schools have been ordered to remain shut on Tuesday.
- The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation shut five metro stations – Jaffrabad, Maujpur-Babarpur, Gokulpuri, Johri Enclave and Shiv Vihar. The first two stations have been closed since Sunday.
- Security forces conducted flag marches after the mob had dispersed.
- Home Ministry officials claimed that the violence appeared to have been orchestrated in view of United States President Donald Trump’s visit.
- Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gadhi Vadra urged the people of Delhi to maintain communal harmony and defeat forces that intend to divide the country on the basis of religion.