Local residents blame it on outsiders
NEWDELHI: Local Seelampur residents on Tuesday said they had been protesting against the amended citizenship law peacefully for the past three days and there had been no violence till Tuesday when some unruly elements joined them.
“Many groups from Seelampur, Jafrabad and other neighbouring areas had been carrying out peaceful protest march for the last three days. The police had been facilitating the marches. Tuesday’s protest was no different until some outsiders and unruly elements became violent and resorted to stone pelting and vandalising vehicles,” said Ishtiyaq Hussain, member of the local Aman Committee — a body organised under police supervision comprising eminent local residents to maintain peace in the area.
Saleem Khan, a Seelampur resident, said till 11am, there were nearly 300 protesters who were marching peacefully. Suddenly, the number of protesters began increasing and by 1.30pm, there was a crowd of over 2,000 people on the road.
The protesters were dispersing after culminating their protest at Seelampur Chowk when violence started.
“Suddenly, 10-15 people from the crowd started throwing stones on the police personnel and a couple of buses on the road. When the police swung into action and lathi charged, others from the crowd started pelting stones and bottles. They threw bricks, stones and glass bottles. It was shocking and scary,” said Khan.
“I saw two injured policemen. Sensing the tension, additional force was called in and they asked shopkeepers to shut down their shops,” added Khan.
AAP MLA from Seelampur
Mohammad Ishraque told reporters that former Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed had earlier in the day organised a rally in the area and his supporters may have been involved in the incident. The former Congress legislator, however, refuted the allegations and said, “The violence started around 1.30 pm and by that time our protest march in the neighbourhood had ended. We were returning when some unknown men started pelting stones on the police and vandalised public property. Ours was a peaceful protest and we had nothing to do with the violence.” Meanwhile, some locals alleged that the police personnel also targeted some innocent residents who were neither part of any protest nor involved in stone pelting.
Mohammad Naseem, who comes to Seelampur everyday from nearby Ghas Mandi area, alleged that he was dragged by the police while he was just his stuff. “We were just doing our business when policemen came and started beating us with lathis. They told us to clear the road. People from outside threw stones at them but the police ended up roughing us up. They (police) even pushed and shoved people, who came in the way of clearing the road.”
Some families living in one of the residential colonies in New Seelampur alleged that the violent protesters threw stones and bottles towards their houses and parked vehicles.
“We were only watching the protest march from inside our colony. Those involved in vandalising the school bus and a cluster bus also hurled stones on us when we screamed and tried to alert the police about children stuck inside the school van. People in our colony were frightened and locked themselves in their homes as we feared that the protesters may target us,” said Akash Deep, a resident.