Thousands protest over Citizenship Law at multiple locations in capital

New Delhi: The national capital on Friday witnessed a wave of fresh protests with a car being set on fire during one of the several demonstrations by people in their thousands who took to the streets shouting anti-government slogans over the contentious citizenship law. The epicentre of the protest was the locality around the Jama Masjid where large number of people held a massive protest after the Friday prayers at the mosque defying prohibitory orders and police clampdown.

Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, holding up a copy of the Constitution, was leading the protesters in a march from Jama Masjid area to Jantar Mantar but they were stopped at the Delhi Gate locality where large number of barricades were erected. Violence broke out in the Delhi Gate area when a group of demonstrators resorted to stone-pelting after police tried to forcefully evict them. In the melee, one car was set on fire and several others were damaged.

Delhi Police said one of its joint commissioners and several other personnel sustained injuries in the stone-pelting. “We have detained a number of people. Some outsiders have incited violence in the area,” Delhi Police spokesperson MS Randhawa said.


Police resorted to lathi-charges to disperse the crowds and bring the situation under control. Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were also witnessed in several other areas, including in Jamia Millia Islamiya, Seemapuri, Jantar Mantar, India Gate and northeast Delhi’s Seelampur, the site of large scale violence by protesters on Tuesday. A group of youths held a “shirtless” protest in Daryaganj shouting slogans demanding scrapping of the new law. Scores of protesters also raised slogans against the proposed National Register of Citizens.