Man shot at by 'miscreant' amid clashes between police, violent anti-CAA protesters in Aligarh

A 22-year-old man was shot at and injured by a miscreant amid clashes that broke out in the old city area here on Sunday between anti-CAA protesters and police after incidents of arson and stone pelting, said officials.

The clashes led police to fire teargas shells to disperse the mob indulging in vandalisation of property and throwing stones at security personnel in upper Kot area of the Kotwali police station, said Aligarh District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh.

Following the incident of violence, the adminstration also suspended internet services in the city till midnight today as a precautionary measure, Singh added.

The violence broke out at a spot on the Mohamed Ali Road leading to the Kotwali police station where some women protestors were holding a dharna since Saturday on the Mohamed Ali Road leading to the Kotwali police station with the police trying to evict protesters from there, he said.

The trouble began around 5 pm when the police tried to persuade women protestors at Upper Kot near Kotwali to evict them from the road, he said.

"We told them that women protestors were already holding a protest at Eidgah and they would not be permitted to hold another such protest near Kotwali," said Singh.

He said "even as efforts were underway to convince women to leave the area with prominent Muslim citizens of the area, including the Sahar mufti Abdul Khalid trying to defuse the situation, mayhem broke out and brick-batting started.."
Describing the situation in Upper Kot area as "tense but under control" Singh said "an intense patrolling of the affected areas is underway and the police are trying to trace out those who were "instigating" the women protestors at Upper Kot since yesterday"