Violence rocks south Delhi during anti-citizenship law protest, buses torched, nearly 60 injured

Protestors torched four public buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with police in New Friends' Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia during a demonstration against the amended Citizenship Act on Sunday, leaving nearly 60 people including students, cops and fire fighters injured.

Police used batons and teargas shells to disperse the violent mob and entered the Jamia university campus, where tension prevailed as several persons were detained for alleged involved in the violence. But a Jamia students' body claimed they had nothing to do with the violence and arson during the protest and alleged that "certain elements" had joined in and "disrupted" the demonstration. They also accused the police of high-handedness.

Later in the evening, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University held a protest outside the Police Headquarters in central Delhi against the police action at Jamia university and the standoff continued till late in the night.

Commuters faced a harrowing time as traffic was thrown out of gear for several hours in the areas and Delhi Metro shut over a dozen stations.

Soon after the violence, Jamia Millia Islamia Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan claimed that the Delhi Police entered the campus forcibly without any permission and beat up staff members and students who were forced to leave the campus.

Condemning the police action, university vice chancellor Najma Akhtar said students who were inside the library, where the police allegedly entered, have been taken out and are safe.

Police said they entered the university campus only to control the situation, after some of the protesters indulged in the violence.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said groups of people, who were coming from the Jamia side, gathered near New Friends' Colony and blocked the road. The protesters who were numbering around 1,500 did not pay heed to police appeals to clear the area. As the police tried to push them back, some of them indulged in arson at around 3.30pm.

Four buses and two police vehicles were torched during the protest, and six police personnel and two firemen were injured, he said and dismissed claims that shots were fired.

Biswal said some of the protestors had come prepared for the arson and stones were pelted from inside the university campus at police personnel.

He said some people have been detained but did not give details.

After the clash, at least 51 injured people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, sources said.

In the wake of violence during protests against the amended Citizenship Act in south Delhi, DMRC closed gates of several metro stations, including GTB Nagar, Shivaji Stadium, Patel Chowk and Vishwavidyalaya, on Sunday evening for several hours.

Escorted by police, some youths were seen coming out of their hostels with their hands raised. Some of them claimed the police also entered the library and "harassed" the students.

Father George PA, director of Holy Family Hospital, said, We received university students and also police personnel. Most of them have been discharged now."
But the university chief proctor said, "Police entered the campus by force, no permission was taken. Staff members and students were beaten up and forced to leave the campus."