Ten people with criminal background have been arrested for allegedly being involved in the violence near Jamia Millia Islamia University here, police said on Tuesday. None of those arrested are students, the police said. The accused were arrested on Monday night and officials also said more anti-social elements are being tracked.
Kumar Gyanesh, the Additional DCP (South East) of the Delhi police told ANI that some protesters were carrying wet blankets and putting them on tear gas shells to minimise the impact, and that petrol bombs were hurled by the protesters as well. This, they said, seemed planned and not spontaneous.
Both the Delhi police and officials of the Home Ministry maintained that no bullet was fired at Jamia on Sunday.
“No bullet was fired by the Delhi Police during protests at Jamia. All 10 persons detained have criminal background. More anti-social elements are being tracked," the officials said, citing a Delhi Police report.
The university had turned into a battlefield on Sunday as police entered the campus and also used force, following a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act which led to violence and arson in which four DTC buses, 100 private vehicles and 10 police bikes were damaged.
Protesters, including students and local residents, converged outside Jamia university on Tuesday with the tricolour and placards to continue their demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens. Braving the freezing cold, they took out small marches outside the varsity, shouting slogans against the government. They, however, made sure the movement of traffic was not affected.
On Monday, thousands of students took to the streets demanding a probe into the use of teargas on Sunday inside the Jamia university's library as well as police entering the campus without permission from university authorities.
According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
The Act says refugees of six communities will be given Indian citizenship after residing in India for five years, instead of 11 years earlier.