NEW DELHI: Hours before Donald Trump arrived in the national capital, frenzied clashes erupted in multiple pockets in north-east Delhi for the second consecutive day between pro and anti-CAA supporters.
At least four people, including a civilian and a head constable, were killed and a deputy commissioner injured. The two feuding sides threw stones, set vehicles and shops ablaze and transformed parts of the national capital into a minefield littered with bricks and glass shards.
In a belated response, the help of paramilitary forces was requisitioned and large gatherings banned in affected areas. Government sources said the violence seemed to be orchestrated. All private and government schools will remain closed in north-east Delhi on Tuesday.
In distressing footage of the clashes, vehicles, shops and buildings can be seen being torched by arsonists. A petrol pump was also set on fire.
A police official on condition of anonymity told a wire agency: "The condition was grim near a petrol pump at Bhajanpura. Many vehicles near the pump were set ablaze by the crowd." According to sources, some shops and houses were also attacked in Gokulpuri and the surrounding areas, and vehicles were set afire.
As the groups battled each other, in another video, a man in a red shirt can be seen running towards an unarmed Delhi Police officer brandishing what appears to be a gun; in the chilling encounter he approaches the cop and confronts him before turning and firing into the air, reported NDTV.
Other videos showed people from both groups breaking off chunks from the concrete divider along the road to throw at each other. A protestor fired multiple rounds in the air as a policeman was seen trying to stop him,.
Journalists covering the spot were also targeted by the protesters as they were stopp-ed from recording videos of the clashes and some of the media personnel were even beaten up.Gates of the metro stations of Jaffrabad and Maujpur-Babarpur were shut down and there was heavy police deployment in the area.
Tension had prevailed since Sunday after BJP leader Kapil Mishra led a mob that clashed with the anti-CAA protesters holding a peaceful demonstration.
The anti-CAA protesters on Monday formed a human chain to prevent people from their side from engaging in further clashes, even as the pro-CAA demonstrators raised slogans in support of the police.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the violence "very distressing" and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to "restore law and order.’’
In the evening, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the situation was "under control". The ministry said it is continuing to "monitor the situation". Curbs on gatherings were imposed outside Delhi Police Headquarters after there were calls for protest marches by the JNU Students Union against the "Sanghi police's brutal suppression of peaceful protests.’’
