Uneasy calm prevails in Aligarh, 2000 anti-CAA protesters booked

A day after clashes broke out between police and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA) protesters in Aligarh on Sunday, the situation in the old city area, which

A day after clashes broke out between police and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA) protesters in Aligarh on Sunday, the situation in the old city area, which was the epicentre of the violence, remained tense but peaceful on Monday, the police said.

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“No untoward incident has been reported from any place since Sunday evening,” additional director general of police, Agra zone, Ajay Anand said.

Eight FIRs were lodged at the Aligarh Kotwali police station and one each at Civil Lines and Delhi Gate police stations of Aligarh against 50 named and 2000 unidentified people, including 1000 women, the police said. Six of these FIRs were lodged on the complaints of those injured in the violence while the others were lodged by police officers, the police added.

“These cases have been registered after Sunday’s violence,”’ stated Rajendra Singh, the officer in-charge of Kotwali police station.

District magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh and Aligarh senior superintendent of police Muniraj G, who took up the new assignment a few hours before the clashes, patrolled the affected areas of the city to ensure law and order.

The district magistrate said Internet services will continue to remain suspended in Aligarh till Monday midnight.

“As a precautionary measure, internet services have been suspended in Aligarh till Monday midnight,” said the DM.

The DM denied any firing by the police during the clashes. He warned that any attempt to spread rumours would be dealt with an iron hand.

The ADG said Mohamad Tariq Munawwar, 22, who received gunshot injuries in Sunday’s violence, was now stable and had been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Trauma Centre of the Jawaharlal Nehru hospital after doctors performed an emergency surgery on him.

“If necessary, we will shift him to AIIMS New Delhi. Currently, however, doctors are satisfied with his progress,” Anand said, adding that the police were in the process of identifying the miscreants involved.

“At the same time, we are initiating confidence-building measures with the help of community leaders to help in restoring normalcy in all affected areas,” he said.

Additional district magistrate (ADM), City, Rakesh Malpadi said,” The police are identifying the role of AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) students and local residents in the protest and violence.”

Violence led to arson and stone-pelting in the old city on Sunday, during which a 22-year-old man was shot at allegedly by miscreants and 11 others, including three policemen, were injured.

The violence, according to the police, started after a group of women staging a protest outside Kotwali police station surrounded a police jeep. They were joined by some miscreants, who started pelting stones, the police said.

Police then used mild force and fired tear gas shells on the protesters. The violence soon spread to various parts of the city and continued till 7pm.

The administration evacuated the anti-CAA and NRC protesters sitting near Kotwali police station after the violence. Meanwhile, a peaceful anti-CAA, NRC protest led by women is being held at Shahjamal Eidgah and Choki near AMU. The protest at Shahjamal entered the 27th day on Monday.

“We have deployed sufficient police force near the protest sites to ensure security of women protesters. We have also allowed the protesters at Shahjamal Eidgah to set up a temporary tent. The administration will only intervene if anyone attempts to take the law in their hands, “ the district magistrate said.

(WITH AGENCY INPUTS)