Day after Seelampur violence, Section 144 imposed in Northeast Delhi
Early on Wednesday morning, the police imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the North East Delhi district of the national capital. The section prohibits the assembly of more than four people in an area. The restrictive orders come a day after violence erupted in Seelampur and Jafrabad during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Here are more details.
The police conducted patrolling in the Seelampur area early morning. They have now filed three first information reports (FIRs) and six people have been arrested in connection with the agitation, where the police tear-gassed stone-pelting protestors. Raids are being conducted to apprehend others involved. The police said protestors who incited violence may have had criminal backgrounds, PTI reported.
The police said that the demonstration started as a "silent protest" around noon on Tuesday, however, it turned violent after a few bare-chested youths threw bricks at the cops. As the violence escalated, buses were vandalized, fires were set and the demonstrators were lathi-charged. The police used tear-gas to quell the protest, in which 21 people were injured, including 15 police officers.
The reason behind the protests is the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. It makes provisions for illegal non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to be accorded Indian citizenship provided they arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Protestors across India say this goes against India's secular fabric and claim that CAA and NRC will work concertedly to strip Muslims of Indian citizenship.
Since the Citizenship Amendment Bill received Presidential assent on December 13, protests against the legislation have only grown louder and wider. In the Northeast, citizens continue protests against the Act as they say it allows illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to become naturalized citizens, which threatens their cultural identity. Meanwhile, the Seelampur protest came two days after cops stormed Jamia Millia Islamia and thrashed students.
