Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad under police custody

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was taken into police custody from outside the Jama Masjid of Delhi in the early hours on Saturday morning.

He was inside the mosque in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

“We have to make sacrifice so that the legislation is taken back. We do not support violence. We were sitting inside the mosque since Friday morning and our people were not involved in violence,” he said.

Azad gave the Delhi Police a slip to reach Jama Masjid, said his name is ‘Azad’ and police cannot hold him captive.

He told sources that he sneaked into the Jama Masjid around 1:30 pm, wearing a skull cap and wrapping himself in a long shawl to hide his identity.

The protest will continue till Home Minister Amit Shah resigns, he said, adding he will soon address the protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia.

In the evening, Delhi Police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannon to disperse protesters near Delhi Gate as violence marked a march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Friday with stones being hurled on security personnel.

At least 46 people were injured in the stone-pelting and police action.

Police also said the protesters set a private car parked at Subhash Marg in Daryaganj on fire. The fire was immediately doused with water and fire extinguishers.

The number swelled at around 5pm to about 15,000 as per police estimates and they started to break the cordon.