6 arrested for violence in Delhi’s Seelampur during citizenship law protests

The lanes of
Jaffrabad, Seelampur and adjacent areas in northeast Delhi remained under tight
surveillance with heavy police deployment till Wednesday morning, a day after
locals resorted to stone pelting when a protest against the Citizenship
Ammendment Act on Tuesday afternoon turned into a violent concern.

The police
imposed prohibitory orders (Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure or
CrPC) in the entire northeast Delhi on Wednesday.

Joint
commissioner of police (eastern range) Alok Kumar said the areas will remain
under surveillance for the next few hours. He said they are working closely
with peacekeeping committees of the areas to ensure such violence is not
repeated.

“We are
checking CCTV footages to identify more miscreants,” the joint commissioner
said.

At least 21
people were injured on Tuesday afternoon, including six locals, 12 policemen
and three Rapid Action Force personnel after the protest that had started with
a peaceful march, soon took shape of a violent agitation.

Nearly 20
vehicles included those of the police were also torched or vandalized.

Among the
vehicles damaged by the protesters, there was a school van. They also torched
three motorcycles and tried to set ablaze a police post on the main road
between Seelampur and Jafrabad.

The entry
and exit gates of seven metro stations on this stretch were closed and traffic
had to be diverted.