How did the clash begin?
According to word of mouth, Hanuman Jayanti procession started at 5:40 PM on Saturday. As claimed by the locals, there was a ruckus within the procession and when it allegedly started clashes by chanting loud slogans and playing music during crossing a mosque and made attempts to place saffron flags on the religious site of another community.
All this chaos, led to a clash between two groups of people, which inevitably took an ugly turn, leaving several injured on both sides.
However, as per another version of the events, the violence broke out after the religious procession was allegedly stopped and prohibited from playing loud music during the rally. Others have justified these claims by stating that several other Hanuman Jayanti processions were stopped and targeted in other parts of the city as well.
Injuries were sustained
According to locals, there was heavy stone pelting and alleged use of arson from both sides. In addition to serious injuries to several policemen, 15 people have sustained minor injuries, while a couple of vehicles have been torched, charred, and left in ruins.
As per, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usha Rangnani “One of our sub-inspectors has sustained a bullet injury, his condition is stable now”.
In an array of official statements, Delhi police officials have mentioned that they were attacked by the miscreants when they attempted to control the escalating situation. The police received information about the clashes at 6:20 pm, 7 the forces reached the spot and the situation was brought under control within an hour.
Present Situation
Presently, a total of 14 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, clashes. As per the DCP, “further investigations are in progress”. The commissioner also confirmed that one of the arrested had allegedly open-fired on the crowd; the weapon so used has been seized by the police.
As of Sunday morning, Delhi police have deployed heavy security in the area and all across the cities of Delhi and Noida. A Rapid Action Force has also been deployed to keep tight surveillance on the entire situation. The Noida police force is on high- alert and flag marches are being conducted throughout the city to ensure an atmosphere of peace, trust, and faith amongst people.
Since the incident, the security arrangements of all the districts of the national capital have been stepped up manifold. Technical surveillance has been mounted to ensure that no untoward movement takes place. Police officers have made mentions of drones and facial recognition software being used to identify those who were involved in creating the chaos.
Delhi Police has lodged a first information report on charges of rioting, attempt to murder, and the Arms Act. Special teams of the crime branch have been formed to investigate further into the matter. In the report, the police have stated that the stampede was caused due to an argument between the participants of a procession and the attendees of a nearby mosque.
The FIR also states that despite police intervention, the two groups started shouting religious slogans and throwing stones at each other. This forced the police to make use of tear-gas grenades to control the situation.
Political reactions
In light of the matter, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has commented that it is the responsibility of the center to ensure the maintenance of peace in the national capital. He has also appealed to the people to maintain peace to ensure the progression of the country.
