Anti-Citizenship Act protesters pelted stones at police, no problem with Jamia students, says Delhi Police

Hours after anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters in Delhi's Jamia Nagar area set ablaze three buses and attacked fire brigade vehicles on Sunday (December 15), Chinmoy Biswal, DCP South East, said that a mob of around 2,000 people turned violent and targeted public transport buses. 

Talking to media, Biswal added that the protesters resorted to stone-pelting and around six policemen have been injured. He, however, did not reveal the identities of the injured policemen.

"This mob was violent. Around 6 policemen have been injured in the stone-pelting. We are yet to ascertain the identities," Biswal said.

Defending the police action to resort to lathi charge on the protesters, the senior Delhi Police official said that the policemen were only trying to push the mob back in order to restrore law and order in the area. Biswal stressed that the police did not target any students of Jamia Millia Islamia.

"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 (Jamia Millia Islamia University) students," noted Biswal.

Commenting on police's decision to enter Jamia Millia Islamia campus, Biswal said that JMI campus is not unified and it is located on both sides of the road and when the police were trying to control the protesters many of them entered the university and started pelting stones at police. This forced the police force to enter inside the campus and check those place.

When asked if the police opened fire at the protesters, Biswal said that no firing was done by the policemen. "There has been no firing absolutely. It is a false rumour that is being spread," he said, adding that the mob caused arson, set motorcycles ablaze and attacked policemen. According to Biswal, some protesters have been detained.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has strongly condemned the violence, saying that protests should remain peaceful. Kejriwal tweeted that no one should indulge in violence as it is completely unacceptable. "No one shud indulge in violence. Any kind of violence is unacceptable. Protests shud remain peaceful," he tweeted.

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The violent protests forced the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to close the entry and exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar and gate no. 3 of Ashram metro station. The DMRC also said that metro trains will not be halting at Sukhdev Vihar station of magenta line. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has shut down services at four stations - Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar and Jasola Vihar.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has tweeted that all schools in Okhla, Jamia Nagar, New Friends Colony and Madanpur Khadar will remain closed on Monday (December 16) due to the tense situation.