‘Will Learn 2 Things….’: What Man Held In Connection With Daryaganj Violence Told Us Inside Courtroom

Fifteen anti-CAA protesters held in connection with the violence in Old Delhi’s Daryaganj have been sent to two-day judicial custody by a local court here on Saturday. The Delhi police had demanded 14-day custody of them but the court only granted them two-day judicial custody. After the hearing, one of the accused spoke to News Nation’s legal correspondent Arvind Singh and told him that he will do two things -- learn English and advocacy -- after getting out.

"When I will walk out of here, I will learn two things – One is English and the other is Advocacy so that I would not get stuck in such a place again," the man told News Nation’s legal correspondent inside the crowded court room. A police officer standing nearby could not hide his smile.

Violence had erupted in Old Delhi’s Daryaganj area on Friday during protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, the excludes Muslims while granting Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The protests which started after the Friday prayers at historic Jama Masjid were peaceful throughout the day. 

However, they turned violent in the evening and at least one police vehicle was torched. The police then resorted to fire water cannon and lathi charge to disperse the protesters and arrested 15 people, reportedly "outsiders", for instigating the violence. One of the arrested persons said that he is a juvenile but police denied his claim and said that he is 23 years of age.

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The protesters are demanding the act be repealed in toto, saying it was discriminatory to the Muslims. The government has sought to clear the "confusion" by issuing multiple clarifications and FAQs, saying that the law won't affect any Indian citizen. However, critics of the law said that when the NRC will be implemented throughout the country, a promise Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made in Parliament, a lot of Muslims will be rendered stateless.

They say that when nation-wide NRC will be implemented, a lot Muslims and non-Muslims may not be able to provide documents to prove their citizenship. The critics claimed that as per the provision in CAA, non-Muslims left out of NRC will be granted Indian citizenship but people from Muslim community will be declared illegal residents.