Jamia Firing: Delhi Police Detain Those Protesting Against Cops’ Inaction
A policeman standing with his arms folded while the armed man fires (left). Police personnel can be seen manhandling a protester (right).
As many as 34 protesters, along with two minors, who were demonstrating against the Delhi Police’s bystander attitude while an armed man fired towards an anti CAA-NRC march outside Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, were detained early morning on Friday, January 31. The detainees have been taken to the Rajendra Nagar Police Station.
The protesters were demonstrating outside the Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO. As part of their protest, the protesters had blocked the ring road outside the headquarters that connects two zones of the national capital – central to east.
The late night blockade laid at ITO by the students of Jamia, Delhi University and others, along with the local residents took an ugly turn at eight in the morning, when the police decided to detain the peaceful protesters, and also manhandled a few. This was despite the protesters agreeing to withdraw the blockade when approached by the police personnel.
The protesters had gathered at ITO soon after students, local residents and women protesting at Shaheen Bagh were denied to march to Rajghat from Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday evening, and demanded the registration of an FIR against the gunman.
The protest at Thursday night outside Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO.
Calling him a “terrorist”, a protester told NewsClick that the first and the foremost demand is to lodge an FIR against the man who fired at the march in front of Jamia, injuring a protester. As per a media report, the armed man styled himself a “messiah for Hindus” and had possible links with the Bajrang Dal. “We further demand immediate inquiry into the case,” he said.
As reported by Firstpost, an FIR was registered against the gunman under Section 307 (attempt to murder), and he was taken in for questioning.
Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police: They wanted permission to protest at Raj Ghat. We have stopped them here as they do not have any such permission. FIR has been registered against person who opened fire under 307 IPC and Arms Act and further investigation is on. https://t.co/UhkBEla6fY pic.twitter.com/ncFgv5t2BV
— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020
The protesters also demanded an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Verma, whose statements in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections are being seen as open incitement for aggression against one community of people.
“The ruling government is creating an environment of terror. The BJP leaders make statements asking to shoot those who are against CAA-NRC. Today, even that happens and on the other hand, the police stands with their arms folded,” another protester told NewsClick.
Earlier removed from the list of star campaigners for Delhi poll, Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma, on Thursday, were slapped with orders to temporarily go off the Delhi campaign exercise. Kapil Mishra was banned earlier for his remarks about the ongoing anti-CAA-NRC-NPR protest at Shaheen Bagh.
Following the firing incident at Jamia, a complaint for FIR to SHO, New Friends Colony, against the three was lodged on Thursday late evening by the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia.
After 2 hours, first rejecting to even take a complaint, finally @DelhiPolice made a DD entey of the complaint for FIR against Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur & Parvesh Rana for insighting #violence which led to #Jamia shootout.
Thanks @ICLU_Ind @AAJMI2018 & brave students. pic.twitter.com/sdvT73aG15— Anand Mangnale (@FightAnand) January 30, 2020
The protesters after blocking the ring road outside the headquarters transformed the street into a canvas for their protest—creating artwork and writing messages—against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), proposed National Population Register (NPR) and the imminent National Register of Citizens (NRC). Later in the night, an effigy of Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, was also hung at the site.
A protester with Gandhi's mask over Godse's effigy (left). An artwork on the street by protesters (right).
On the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday, people had gathered for a peaceful march from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, permission for which was withdrawn at the last hour.
The Jamia Coordination Committee, the organiser of the march, in a statement, called the BJP-RSS led “genocide” to be a much larger threat and demanded state action against the “Hindutva terrorist” who fired at the protesting student.
Also read: He Came, Live-Streamed, Fired, Waved Pistol…And Walked Into Delhi Police’s Arms
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