New Delhi: Several people were injured in a clash between pro- and anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters near northeast Delhi’s Jaffrabad area on Sunday. Police used teargas and a lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
The clash erupted around 3 pm when the two groups started throwing stones at each other, despite a heavy police presence. Witnesses said 500-odd people, mostly women, had gathered to protest against CAA. The protesters had also gathered on Saturday night.
As the anti-CAA group was shouting slogans, people turned up shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and other slogans. “Suddenly, people started throwing stones at those gathered,” an eyewitness said. Soon, both groups were at it, forcing police to resort to a lathicharge.
The trouble escalated when BJP leader Kapil Mishra decided to hold a rally backing CAA. Mishra arrived near the Jaffrabad Metro station and demanded the anti-CAA protesters be remov-ed. Some other joined him and began pelting stones.
Tension prevailed as protesters blocked the road near the metro station that connects Seelam-pur with Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar. This was the second day that anti-CAA protesters had hit the streets, prompting Delhi Metro to close the gates of Jaffrabad station.
Mishra tweeted: “We have given a three-day ultimatum to Delhi police to get the road cleared.”
He told his gathering: “Till US President is in India, we are leaving the area peacefully. After that we won’t listen to you (police) if the roads are not vacated.”
