Citizenship Act protests: Schools to be shut in parts of Delhi

Violence broke out in southeast Delhi following a clash between police and Jamia Millia Islamia students who were protesting against the amended Citizenship Act, on Sunday (December 15).

Soon after the protest, Delhi police entered Jamia Millia Islamia campus and blocked university gates to nab some “outsiders” who had entered the premises to hide, claimed the university official.

As a precautionary measure, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said, “All schools and colleges to stay closed in Okhla, Jamia and New Friends Colony and Madanpur Khadar area of Delhi.”

Waseem Ahmed Khan, Chief Proctor of the varsity said, “Police have entered the campus by force, no permission was given. Our staff and students are being beaten up and forced to leave the campus.”

The varsity sources said that as police tried to disperse the protesters, some of the “outsiders” ran towards the campus and tried to hide there. Escorted by police, youths could be seen coming out of their hostels with their hands raised. Some of them claimed the police also entered the library and “harassed” the students.

In a reply to the allegations made by the varsity, Chinmoy Biswal, DCP South East said, “The campus is not unified, it is located on both sides of the road, and while we were pushing the mob back, they were going in the university and then were throwing stones from inside, so we were checking those places.” He also stressed that, “Our only interest is to push the mob back, so law and order can be restored in the area. We have no problem with university students.”

Later, the varsity vice chancellor C Najma Akhtar said, “The “harassed” students are safe but police action condemnable.” There was a heavy deployment of police in and around the campus.

Agitators set afire three public buses and a fire tender in New Friends Colony in southeast Delhi, leaving a cop and two fire personnel injured, police added.

According to police officials, the students who protested on Mathura Road, in southeast Delhi, torched DTC buses. However, students claimed that the police baton charged them when they were holding a peaceful protest.

A Delhi Fire Services official said four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. One fire tender was completely damaged and two personnel were injured, he said.

Delhi: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses set ablaze by protesters near Bharat Nagar over #CitizenshipAmendmentAct. One fire tender was rushed to the spot. Two firemen also injured. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/j6vH9tG8O4

— ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2019

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said any kind of violence is unacceptable and protests should remain peaceful.

Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh made the charge against the BJP while “strongly” condemning the violence in the South East Delhi. “AAP is a peaceful party that believes in democracy and non-violence. Whenever the BJP realises it is going to lose (in polls), it indulges in such cheap political tactics,” said Singh.

The BJP earlier today had alleged the violence was perpetrated by the Aam Admi Party and had demanded that they stop “provoking people”.

According to Saimon Farooqui, national secretary of Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India, the protesters were peacefully sitting on Mathura Road when policemen tried to “trouble” a couple of protesters, who resisted.

A Jamia Millia Islamia students group said they had nothing to do with the arson and violence. They alleged that “local elements” joined the protest and “disrupted” it. They said they returned to campus as the protest turned violent and were protesting on the campus peacefully. Some of the protesters claimed that the police baton charged them when they were holding a peaceful agitation.

Also read: BJP faces ally trouble over Citizenship Act from Northeast, JDU

Thereafter, police started lathicharging the protesters and using teargas, he alleged. Another student claimed that after the policemen used force, some protesters torched buses and indulged in vandalism.

Reacting to the protests, Jamia Teachers Association appealed the students to keep away from “direction-less” protest led by local political leaders. However, the police have taken momentary control of the situation.

Traffic and Metro services hit

Meanwhile, Delhi traffic police on their official twitter handle tweeted about the vehicular movements in and around the protest area.

Traffic Alert

Mathura Road opposite New Friends Colony both carriageways have been blocked by demonstrator.

— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) December 15, 2019

Based on the advised by Delhi police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation also closed the entry and exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar and Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh, Vasant Vihar, Munirka and RK Puram and gate no. 3 of Ashram. Similarly, trains will not be halting at these stations.

Due to the Act, several parts of northeast India and certain parts of West Bengal has been on continuous boil.

Internet suspended in Bengal

Earlier, in West Bengal, internet services were suspended in six districts to prevent rumour-mongering and circulation of fake news on social media.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday directed the Coochbehar and Jalpaiguri district authorities to ensure supply of food and water to train and bus passengers stranded due to blockades put up by people protesting citizenship law, officials said. The district magistrates of the two districts were told to make sure that the passengers stranded on the roads and the tracks do not face problems in getting food and water, a senior government official said.

Also read: Bangladeshi, Pakistani media slam India on Citizenship Amendment Act

Protest in Chennai, Hyderabad

Around 400 students from Assam and North Eastern states staged a protest in Chennai on Sunday against the Citizenship Amendment Act, police said. They converged at the Marina beach here, holding aloft placards that read No CAB, we oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill and raised slogans They dispersed later.

An official of Assam Association here said the protest was by people hailing from Assam and other North Eastern states, who had settled in Chennai. “As an association we are yet to decide on staging a protest”, he told PTI.

Similarly, opposing the Centre’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), various organisations staged a protest in Hyderabad today, police said. Holding placards that read “Withdraw CAA Permanently”, “Reject CAA and Boycott NRC”, among others, the protesters, wearing black bands, waved black flags raised slogans. “A dharna was staged under the leadership of different organisations against the Citizenship Amendment Act,” a protester said.

AASU hints at launching political party

The All Assam Students Union (AASU), which has been protesting the amended Act, hinted at launching a political party along with Shilpi Samaj (artists forum) as an alternative to the ruling BJP and AGP as well as to opposition Congress.

While addressing a protest meet Concert for Peace and Harmony in Guwahati, AASU president Dipanka Nath, supported popular actor Zubeen Garg’s proposal of launching a political party.

“We are in talks with Silpi Samaj (artists forum) and also discussing with people of Assam to think about an alternative. With your (peoples) permission, we will not hesitate one bit to go in that direction (of launching a political party). The AASU will remain apolitical. But, in the interest of the people, along with Silpi Samaj we are ready to go in that direction,” Nath said to loud cheers from thousands of people at the event.

Nath alleged the Centre decided to implement the amended Citizenship Act to render the culture, language and heritage of the indigenous people “extinct”. “Our agitation against the Act will be long. Each one of us has to carry on our fight peacefully,” he said.

Reports claimed that people staged a protest against the Citizenship Act in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The amended Citizenship Act grants citizenship to undocumented non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan who allegedly fled religious persecution and returned to India on or before December 31, 2014.

(With inputs from agencies)