Delhi’s Jamia Nagar and Seelampur witnessed unprecedented violence even as the National Capital witnessed tense moments after the passage of the CAA in the Parliament.
In Seelampur, the angry protesters (read rioters and hooligans) torched three motorbikes, damaged three buses and two police booths. A mobile toilet was also set on fire. The protesters who were holding a ‘peaceful’ march suddenly turned violent when a heavy mob of around 3,000 people joined them. A police officer said, “We requested them to go back at Seelampur T-point. Protestors ignored our repeated requests and they resorted to stone-pelting. We had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.”
Seelampur or Syria? The protests in Delhi were nothing short of a full blown terror attack
Several policemen have been injured across the two incidents and now the opposition parties- AAP and the Congress have come under suspicion over widespread violence in Delhi.
The Delhi Police FIR as regards the Jamia violence contains the names of leaders from both the parties. One of such names is that of former Congress MLA, Asif Khan and CYSS leader Kasim Usmani, who is a member of the AAP student wing at the Jamia Milia Islamia University. This has obviously led to the two parties coming under the lens of suspicion.
The question of their involvement becomes that much more pertinent and relevant given that Amanatullah Khan, AAP MLA was spotted at the site of Jamia violence. Later on, Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was caught spreading fake news that the Delhi Police had torched a DTC bus at the site of violence.
As far as the Seelampur incident is concerned, the protest rally was taken out by the former Congress MLA, Mateen Ahmed and the sitting AAP MLA, Haji Ishraq. Local Councillor Abdul Rehman of the AAP also present at the rally. Speeches were given against the Citizenship Amendment Act and owing to massive traffic jams in the area, police asked them to move from the area. Soon, the protests turned violent and stones were pelted by a mob running into thousands at the police personnel. Looking at the visuals of the incident, it is clear that the violence was not spontaneous, rather it was carried out in a well-thought-out and planned manner. The mobs outnumbered the cops and went berserk. Delhi Police had to retreat several times and call for reinforcements. The rioters meanwhile continued to unleash terror. Violence broke out merely 10 minutes after the AAP MLA left from the site and the Counsellor also left a few minutes before the protests took the form of ugly, violent riots.
Names from both the parties have figured in both Jamia violence and Seelampur violence. Leaders from the parties were present, at least in the case of AAP, at both the sites.
