Anti-CAA Protests | Fresh Violence Breaks Out At Northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura: Sources

Fresh round of violence erupted in Northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura, according to the sources. This came hours after NSA Ajit Doval took stock of the prevailing situation in the region. The sources further added that the police teams have started moving from Seelampur to Bhajanpura. Delhi Police PRO, MS Randhawa, earlier had said that the situation is now under control and no reports of violence have been registered on Wednesday.  

Doval, who was tasked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the mandate to restore normalcy in riot-hit North East Delhi where 24 people have been killed in communal violence, undertook a late night tour of the riot-hit areas on Tuesday accompanied by Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, newly-appointed Special Commissioner S N Shrivastava and other senior officers.

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The former Intelligence Bureau chief who holds the rank of a cabinet minister visited the affected areas, including Jaffrabad and Seelampur, where he met police officers and gave them necessary directives, besides meeting leaders of different communities to assuage the tension, the officials said.

Shrivastava is believed to have been handpicked by Doval himself after Patnaik faced flak for failing to curb spiralling violence in the national capital in the backdrop of high-profile visit of the US president, they said. Delhi Police reports to the Union Home Ministry.

Doval on Wednesday morning presented his on the spot assessment of the situation to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the prime minister about the steps taken to quell the violence and restore normalcy in areas under the grip of communal riots over the amended citizenship law, the officials said. Besides the prime minister, the CCS, the country’s top- most body on strategic affairs, comprises Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Also Read | Delhi Violence: NSA Ajit Doval Briefs Home Minister Amit Shah On Prevailing Situation In Northeast Region

He again took to tensed streets in the affected areas with senior officers where he met with locals and assured them that the situation is under control. During the visit, Doval said he was there on the instructions of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “Police is working hard. Only some criminals were involved in this. One should try resolving issues and not increasing them. There were incidents earlier but today it is calm. Locals want peace. We have full faith there will be peace,” he said.

He returned to North Block to brief Home Minister Amit Shah in the afternoon about the current law and order situation in North East Delhi.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvind Kumar and Amulya Patnaik attended the meeting.

Twenty-four people have been killed and over 200 injured in communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi three days ago. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar are among the areas mainly affected by the riots.

The former Intelligence Bureau chief, Doval is known for his hands on approach and is considered a close confidante of the prime minister and his go-to man for any crisis situation.

(With Agency Inputs)

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