A protestor (R) brandishes a pistol during clashes between a group of anti-CAA protestors and supporters of the new citizenship act, at Jafrabad in north-east Delhi, Monday (PTI)
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra on Monday sent out a series of tweets in which he appealed to both citizenship law protestors and backers to maintain peace in the National Capital. “Violence is not the solution to any problem, I appeal to everyone, whether you oppose the CAA or support it, to maintain peace,” Mishra said in a tweet.
“The situation is really tense in north-east Delhi, especially in areas of Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar, Maujpur, Babarpur and Jaffrabad,” Mishra said in another tweet, as he also posted a video of smoke billowing out from what appeared to be a building.
The appeal for calm by Mishra came as a head constable from Delhi Police was reported to be killed in violence that rocked the north-east district on Monday. Overall four persons, including a cop, were killed and 37 people injured in the violence that rocked the north-east district on the day. At the time of writing this report, the situation remained tense in several localities amid uneasy calm and heavy security deployment.
Videos doing the rounds of social media showed scenes of stand-off and vehicles being set ablaze in the latest bout of violence in the National Capital over the new citizenship law. In at least one of the pictures related to the violence, a protestor (unclear if he was a backer or the other way round) was seen brandishing a gun at a cop.
Section 144 has been imposed in at least ten localities following the outbreak of violence.
Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the intervention of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to contain the escalating the situation.
Mishra, who had unsuccessfully contested the Delhi Assembly elections from Model Town, had on Sunday issued an ultimatum to Delhi Police to clear the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest in three days before US President Donald Trump concluded his maiden visit to India. Trump is due to land in New Delhi at 7:30 PM on Monday, before leaving for the US the next day at 10:00 PM.
Mishra had on Sunday also issued a twitter call to the backers of the CAA to gather at Maujpur Metro station, 500 metres from the protest site at Jaffrabad. The two groups were involved in a prolonged standoff last afternoon, entailing stone-pelting by opposing factions.
"We won't let another Shaheen Bagh be created in Delhi," he had said in another tweet.
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