This story is from February 26, 2020

Paramilitary out in riot-hit northeast Delhi as toll rises to 20

Violence over the amended citizenship law escalated in northeast Delhi, taking the death toll to 20. Heavy deployment of Delhi Police personnel & paramilitary forces was visible in the riot-hit areas with some 35 companies of central armed police forces being deployed. Home minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Delhi CM, LG, & police representatives on Tuesday.
Paramilitary out in riot-hit northeast Delhi as toll rises to 20
Security personnel conduct flag march during clashes between those against it and those supporting the CAA in northeast Delhi, Tuesday: PTI
NEW DELHI: Even as US President Donald Trump was winding up his visit to India on Tuesday evening, the government seemed to have finally woken up to the serious situation in northeast Delhi where violence spiralled out of control for the third consecutive day, pushing the overall death toll to 13.
Heavy deployment of Delhi Police personnel and paramilitary forces like Rapid Action Force and CRPF was visible in the riot-hit areas amidst announcements that shoot-at-sight orders had been issued and curfew imposed though there was no official word on this.
Some 35 companies of central armed police forces were deployed in the affected areas.
These developments followed a meeting earlier in the day that home minister Amit Shah had with lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and representatives of key political parties to take stock of the situation. The meeting was also attended by police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and senior home ministry officials. Kejriwal had, meanwhile, held a meeting of his own and given at call for peace at Rajghat.
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It was evident from the early hours of Tuesday that the violence was only getting worse with reports of night-long incidents of vandalism, arson and stone-pelting. Eight more deaths bore witness to the intensity and viciousness of the communal riots. The entire area remained in the grip of violence all through Tuesday with even mediapersons being attacked for doing their job.
Incidents of widespread stone-pelting and arson were reported from Jafrabad,
Babarpur, Brahmapuri, Gorakh Park, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Kabir Nagar, Chand Bag, Gokulpuri, Karawal Nagar, Khajoor Khas and Kardam Puri. Many places witnessed throwing of an acid-like substance and hot water on people and security forces. Five people with acid burns are admitted in Lok Nayak Hospital.
In the Maujpur-Jafrabad road area, there was random shooting from rooftops for the first time, making it quite risky to move through the streets.
In all, over 200 people, including rioters and bystanders, have been injured and over 100 vehicles torched and damaged. At least 20 people admitted in different hospitals have gunshot wounds, sources said. The autopsy of head constable Ratan Lal has revealed that he too was shot dead by rioters — a bullet pierced his left shoulder and punctured his heart. However, the condition of DCP Amit Sharma, who was critically injured, has improved.
Dr Sunil Kumar, medical director of GTB Hospital told TOI that 13 people had died of injuries. Some of them have been identified as Vinod Kumar, Nazim, Shahid Khan, Rahul Solanki, Furqan, Deepak, Mudasir and Ishtiyak. The identity of the rest has not been disclosed yet.
Later, prohibitory orders were imposed under Section 144 in about a dozen areas. The police have also issued orders prohibiting dissemination of provocative material connected to the riots on any media platform. Eleven FIRs have been registered and two dozen people have been identified and detained, said the police.
On Tuesday, the first reports of violence came from near Brijpuri area in New Mustafabad where locals panicked hearing gunshots early in the morning. This was followed by stone-pelting in many areas after which police cracked down. This, however, did not stop incidents of arson and robberies. Smoke billowed in the air and mobs roamed the streets unchecked, burning shops, pelting stones and threatening locals. By noon, Chand Bagh and Kardampuri areas were badly hit with the latter witnessing over three hours of continuous stone-pelting.
Rioters damaged two fire tenders in Gokulpuri and frenzied mobs raising incendiary slogans set on fire fruit carts, rickshaws and anything that came in their way in Maujpur, epicentre of the trouble, and other places. Police and security personnel then fired teargas shells to disperse the rioters who were armed with stones, rods and even swords. Many were wearing helmets. Around 5 pm, security personnel were pelted with stones at Chand Bagh. They chased the mob, only to be attacked by some people armed with petrol bombs. By afternoon, the streets were again littered with mangled remains of vehicles, bricks and burnt tyres.
By evening, flag marches were being conducted in Bhajanpura, Khajuri Khas and other places to bring the situation under control. Five stations on Delhi Metro's Pink Line were closed for the second consecutive day.
Residents of many areas complained of absence of police personnel. “There is no police presence in our area. Rioters were running around threatening people, vandalising shops. Many of us needed to be evacuated,” said a resident of Jafrabad.
Meanwhile, security in the neighbouring cities of Noida and Ghaziabad has been tightened. While the Delhi-Ghaziabad border has been heavily barricaded and all vehicles are being thoroughly checked, the routes through DLF Pushta Road, Lal Bagh and Loni have been sealed, said district magistrate Ajay Kumar Pandey. “Residents have been advised to avoid these routes to go to Delhi. Section 144 is already in place in the district,” said Pandey.
Ghaziabad SSP Kalanidhi Naithani said police have put up “double barricades”, a hundred metres from the route leading to violence-hit Karawal Nagar in Delhi. IG Meerut Praveen Kumar, who was in Ghaziabad, inspected security arrangements and has asked Naithani to secure the border. “Over 5,500 cops are on high alert. Over 500 Twitter accounts and 800 Facebook accounts are under the radar of a cyber cell team,” said Naithani.
In Noida, too, security has been increased and police are monitoring social media. Section 144 is already in place in G B Nagar. On Tuesday, senior officers took stock of the checking in border areas. Additional DCP Ranvijay Singh said that vehicles are being checked to ensure that no one crosses the border to take part in any violence.
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