Stone-throwing between rival groups, arson and vandalism on Tuesday marked unrelenting violence over citizenship law protests for more than 24 hours in a part of Delhi, in which 10 - including a policeman - have been killed and 100 injured, report NDTV/BBC.
Shops were burnt and people armed with sticks and rods were on streets in Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Karawal Nagar in northeast Delhi, which saw clashes between protesters for and against the controversial citizenship law spiral into unprecedented violence in the capital yesterday.
The Union Home Ministry ruled out calling the army, saying adequate central forces and police are on the ground, said government sources. Home Minister Amit Shah has appealed for peace and said rumours should be stopped, sources said after his meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The violence began on Monday, hours before United States President Donald Trump arrived in the capital. Rival mobs from different communities armed with sticks were ranged against each other in parts of Bhajanpura. Negligible police presence made the situation worse. Inadequate police presence or policemen refusing to act was also visible at Chand Bagh nearby, where stone-throwing damaged many shops.
Smoke was seen rising from buildings set on fire late last night. A tyre market in Gokulpuri was set on fire and buildings vandalised by people armed with sticks and rods. The Union Home ministry has asked for no provocative statements to be made and said that Delhi's borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are being monitored to ensure no anti-social elements take advantage of the situation.
Fresh violence has been reported Tuesday noon from northeast Delhi areas such as Karawal Nagar, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Vijay Park and Yamuna Vihar. While stones were thrown in neighbourhoods such as Maujpur, the fire department has been getting more SOS calls, many of them unattended after three firefighters were been injured Monday.
A group of people set a fire engine ablaze and threw stones at another. In Maujpur, a group of people travelling in an e-rickshaw were thrashed and looted of their valuables this morning. In Gokulpuri area, a mob set a tyre market on fire Monday night. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he had raised the subject of police action with the Home Minister and had asked if the police could be empowered to act.
"The police personnel could not do anything because they were not getting orders from their seniors. I will raise this with Amit Shah-ji. They can't decide whether there should be tear-gassing or lathi-charging without orders from above," Kejriwal told reporters before his meeting. An armed battalion of Delhi Police, comprising around 1,000 personnel, is being deployed in violence-hit areas of Delhi while inter-state borders are being closely monitored, officials said. An additional 35 companies of paramilitary forces too have been deployed.
Among the 100 injured are 48 police personnel, many of whom have been hospitalised. Mr Kejriwal, who expressed sorrow at the death of the Delhi Police officer, called the violence "very distressing" yesterday and urged Home Minister Amit Shah - under whose control Delhi Police rolls up - to ‘restore law and order and ensure peace and harmony is maintained’. Political analyst Yogendra Yadav also took to Twitter to raise alarm over the clashes.