CAA Protest: Okhla Underpass And Portion Of Mathura Road Closed For Traffic

Okhla underpass and a portion of Mathura Road were closed for traffic movement on Wednesday morning, the Delhi Traffic Police said. Sources said that the traffic was closed owing to the planned protest by Jamia students against Citizenship Amendment Act. Earlier, entry and exit gates at Jafrabad and Maujpur – Babarpur metro station, which were closed in view of violence that ensued following protests over the Citizenship Act, were opened. The gates at these metro stations were closed. “Entry and exit gates of Jaffrabad and Maujpur - Babarpur stations are closed. However, the interchange facility to continue towards Shiv Vihar is available at Maujpur. Normal service on all other stations and lines,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had tweeted this morning.

Earlier on Tuesday, entry, and exit at these metro stations were closed for over seven hours due to violence in the area. The doors were closed at around 3 pm on Tuesday.   

Angry protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship law torched several government and private vehicles and pelted stones at police personnel. The protestors also set a police booth on fire in the area.

Police resorted to baton charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Plumes of smoke billowed from at least two localities as the standoff continued for around one-and-a-half hours. Police said the situation has been brought under control.

They said two bikes of traffic cops were burnt by the demonstrators, adding a police booth in the area was vandalised and CCTV cameras installed there were taken away by the mob. Some security personnel were also injured in the incident, police said.

The clashes erupted two days after violence broke out during a protest in the New Friends area in South Delhi near Jamia Millia Islamia. Protests were also reported from Brijpuri in northeast Delhi around 8:30 pm but were brought under control.