New Delhi: Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with the violence in Daryaganj in Old Delhi during a protest against the new citizenship law, police have said the morning after 40 people were detained, leading to massive crowd build-up outside the police station demanding their release.
Those arrested have been charged with rioting and using force to deter policemen from doing their duty, police said.
In East Delhi’s Seemapuri, 11 people have been arrested but a group of lawyers who have come together under the ‘Lawyers for Detainees’ banner say they are not being provided with the FIR copy despite an order from the local magistrate at 4:30am. Lawyers have now moved the Karkardooma District Court.
In Daryaganj, at least eight among the 40 people detained on Friday night were minors, who were released in the early hours of Saturday.
The protesters had been taken into custody after the agitation turned violent and a private car parked at Subhash Marg, right outside the office of the DCP, was set ablaze. The Delhi Police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse the protesters, resulting in injuries. Police, however, denied baton charging the protesters and using teargas, saying they used "mild force" and water cannon.
The detainees were kept inside the Daryaganj police station and not allowed to meet anyone for nearly three hours and several protesters, media persons and lawyers surrounded the police station to demand that the detainees be released or at least be allowed to speak to someone. A team of doctors volunteering to treat the protesters for injuries were also reportedly denied entry.
As the crowd outside the police station grew, the police eventually let a lawyer inside the station and gave a list of all those detained inside.
In the early hours of Saturday, Central Delhi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arul Varma directed the police to allow the detained persons access to their advocates.
"I deem it fit to direct SHO PS Daryaganj to allow the detainee to meet their advocates in terms of Section 41D of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)," said the judge.
The judge was informed by lawyers that several detainees, including minors, were being kept at the station despite injuries sustained during the police station.
A report by news agency PTI quoted Lok Nayak Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Kishore Singh as saying that two people had sustained serious injuries following violence at the protest.
"Hours after the violent protest near Delhi Gate, around 42 injured people, including eight policemen, got medical treatment at Lok Nayak Hospital. Two people admitted to the hospital have been seriously injured but their condition is not life-threatening at present. One person who has suffered a fracture in his leg is admitted in a ward," Singh said.
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