Death toll from Delhi clashes rises to 17

The number of deaths in the unprecedented violence in Delhi since Sunday has risen to 17, NDTV reports.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Feb 2020, 04:04 AM
Updated : 26 Feb 2020, 04:05 AM

Stone-throwing between rival groups, arson and vandalism on Tuesday marked unrelenting violence over citizenship law protests for more than 24 hours in northeast Delhi. Over 150 people have been injured in the clashes.

The clashes, the worst in the capital since unrest over a new citizenship law began in December, started at the weekend but turned deadly on Monday, Reuters reports. Violence erupted again in multiple areas of northeast Delhi on Tuesday, just miles away from where US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for talks.

India's capital has been a focus of unrest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which makes it easier for non-Muslims from three neighbouring Muslim-dominated countries to gain Indian citizenship.

Local TV channels showed huge clouds of smoke billowing from a tyre market that had been set ablaze and Reuters witnesses saw mobs wielding sticks and stones walking down streets in parts of northeast Delhi, amid further incidents of stone-throwing.

Late Tuesday night, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited areas affected by the violence and met with top police officers.

Doval visited areas such as Seelampur, Jaffrabad, Maujpur and Gokulpuri Chowk to take stock of the law and order situation.

With the violence spiralling on Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting with cops and officials on Tuesday evening, his third in 24 hours. The meeting was also attended by top IPS officer SN Srivastava, who was appointed as the special police commissioner on Tuesday.

The Home Ministry had earlier said the situation was under control even as the number of people killed in the violence kept rising during the day. Ruling out deployment of the army to end violence, it had said enough police and paramilitary personnel were on the ground.

The Delhi High Court, in a late-night order, asked the police to ensure safe passage and emergency treatment for those injured in the unprecedented violence in the capital since for the last three days.

The hearing by a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court took place at the residence of Justice S Murlidhar. The court was hearing an urgent petition seeking safe passage for the injured to medical institutions with adequate facilities. The court will take up the case again at 2:15 pm Wednesday.