Citizenship Act protest: Violence, arson in Delhi; cop injured, buses torched

New Delhi, (PTI): Protestors agitating against the amended Citizenship Act clashed with police on Sunday and set afire DTC buses and a fire tender in New Friends’ Colony in southeast Delhi leaving a cop and two fire personnel injured, police said.

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 in the violence by the protesters.

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

Police lathicharged the protesters and used teargas, Farooqui said.

A student claimed that after the policemen used force, some protesters torched buses and indulged in vandalism.