Delhi riots toll touches 13, Kejriwal urges calm

Resmi Sivaram / Agencies

Curfew was imposed in four mob violence-hit areas of Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar and Jafarabad in northeast Delhi, on Tuesday.

The riots have claimed 13 lives and left over 180 injured, including the police personnel, in the past two days.

In many places, the violent pro- and anti-CAA activists outnumbered the police and indulged in arson.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Commissioner of Delhi Police Amulya Patnaik, Intelligence Bureau chief Arvind Kumar and Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla among others, late on Monday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held an urgent meeting of MLAs and officials of the violence-hit areas at his residence on Tuesday.

He then appealed to Delhites to maintain peace.

“Everyone wants that the violence be stopped. The Home Minister had called a meeting today, it was a positive one,” he said.

Kejriwal said that the MLAs informed him that police can’t take action till they receive orders from the top authorities in the Union Home Ministry.

Lt Governor Anil Baijal said: “Both CM and I want that peace and harmony should remain intact in Delhi. We should do everything possible to maintain peace and order. We should also help police in this.”

Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders prayed at the Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat and requested temples and mosques to issue calls for peace. “Hindus, Muslims, policemen are getting killed.

Homes and shops are being set on fire? Who is this helping? No one. This madness must end,” he said.

In North East Delhi, Maujpur, Babarpur, Jaffrabad, Gokulpuri and Brijpuri were worst affected.

The Delhi Police said that 35 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in Northeast Delhi along with Special Cell, Crime Branch and Economic Offences Wing (EOW) officials. Local police from different districts of Delhi have also been called in.

Officials at the GTB Hospital said in the evening that the toll had been steadily mounting.

“Fifty per cent of those injured sustained bullet injuries,” a doctor at the GTB hospital said.

“Till now 54 persons have been brought to the hospital. We are still receiving patients”, said Rajesh Kalra, Additional Medical Superintendent at GTB hospital.

People were being targeted by armed goons on the basis of community.

The victims say they were asked for their names and religion before being attacked.