Mayhem in Delhi : Scribe shot at, 3 NDTV journalists attacked during violent clashes

New Delhi : A journalist with JK 24X7 news received a bullet injury and three reporters from NDTV were beaten and punched by rioters in northeast Delhi, which was wracked by fresh violence on Tuesday.

Akash sustained a bullet injury while covering the communal clashes in Maujpur locality and is in hospital where his condition is serious, said a tweet from JK 24X7 channel.

NDTV's Arvind Gunasekar was circled by a mob that hit him on the face; a lathi was about to be brought down on his head when his colleague, Saurabh Shukla, intervened. The lathi hit Saurabh instead; he was also punched on the back. Arvind lost a tooth in the attack.

The reporters managed to get out. Both are safe now.

NDTV's Mariyam Alavi was hit on the back by a mob in a different part of northeast Delhi, from where she was reporting along with Sreenivasan Jain.

The cameraperson with them, Sushil Rathee, was also injured.

Delhi Police's Special CP Pravir Ranjan said that curfew has been imposed in violence-affected regions in North East Delhi - Maujpur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar.

Meanwhile, Police fires tear gas in Delhi's Chand Bagh to dispense rioters. One head constable is among the 13 who have been killed in the clashes. The Delhi police also said that it has filed 11 FIRs over the violence

MS Randhawa, Delhi Police PRO added, "I deny that there is any deficiency of police force. Sufficient forces have been deployed in the Northeast district. CRPF, RAF and additional resources of Delhi police are also active."

Earlier, the Delhi Police told the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that it did not have adequate forces to immediately control the violence that hit parts of Delhi. The non-availability of adequate forces was conveyed by Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik during his meeting with the top brass of the MHA.

On BJP leader Kapil Mishra's speech, Randhawa said, "It's under investigation, our top priority was to control the situation which we've done. We will investigate all FIRs that have been registered & if a main conspirator is found action will be taken."

The top official says, "Some anti-socal elements are responsible for the violence and we are responding accordingly. We have got additional forces also. Sufficient forces deployed in North East Delhi."

A battery shop was set on fire in Bhajanpura. The shop was vandalised and burnt batteries were strewn on the road.

Rakesh Kumar, a local, said the incident took place at around 3.30 pm. "We do not know how the situation escalated. We are worried about our safety. My family is scared after seeing such a thing near our house," he said.

Expressing shock at continuing violence, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram said, "We had warned that CAA was deeply divisive and should be repealed or abandoned. Our warning fell on deaf ears.

The people are paying the price for putting in power insensitive and short-sighted leaders." Senior Congress leader also reiterated that its not too late and the CAA could be put in "abeyance" till the apex court pronounced the validity of the law.

"Even now it is not too late. The government should listen to the voices of the anti-CAA protesters and declare that the CAA will be kept in abeyance until the Supreme Court pronounced on its validity," added Chidambaram.

The Congress leader also said that India has citizenship law since 1955 and it does not need to be amended.

"India has lived with the Citizenship Act 1955 without the amendment. Why does the Act need an amendment now? The amendment (CAA) should be abandoned forthwith."

The Amnesty India urged PM Narendra Modi to unequivocally condemn the recent hate speeches made by leaders and demanded that they must be held accountable, as nine people were killed in violence in northeast Delhi over the citizenship law.

Amnesty International India executive director Avinash Kumar demanded a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into such speeches that allegedly led to ongoing and past violence, adding that the "prolonged impunity" must end.

The comments by the human rights organisation come as tension smouldered in northeast Delhi on Tuesday, with mobs roaming unchecked through the streets, pelting stones, vandalising shops and threatening locals.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra had led a gathering in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Jafarabad on Sunday, following which violence erupted between protesters and supporters of the contentious law. "