Security was beefed up at Jamia, Monday. (Express Photo: Abhinav Saha)
A day after reports emerged of a shooting near the site of the anti-CAA protests in Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi Police said they are yet to confirm if a gunshot was fired, and added that a probe to get more clarity is underway. As protesters surrounded Jamia Nagar police station late Sunday night, a case was registered under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 27 of the Arms Act. But police said there was little clarity on the firing, the accused or the “two-wheeler and weapon” used.
Police have accessed CCTV footage from Jamia’s gate number 7, which shows chaos as passersby rush to the spot of the alleged shooting, but does not capture the incident itself. A senior officer said, “We haven’t found any evidence of a shooting yet. No shells, no cartridges. We are probing the video and vehicle registration number shared by people who claim to have witnessed the incident.” Another officer said: “We are going through a bunch of registration numbers.”
At 12.20 am on Sunday night, a message from the control room on the DCP’s behalf directed all SHOs of the district and their staff to reach Jamia.
Sunday night’s alleged incident came a day after two shots were fired in Shaheen Bagh, and three days after a shooting in Jamia. On January 30, a 17-year-old armed assailant shot at a Jamia student near Holy Family Hospital. On February 1, at least two gunshots were fired by a 25-year-old man 50 metres from the Shaheen Bagh protest stage.
On Sunday, the Election Commission relieved DCP (South East) Chinmoy Biswal from his current posting.
On Monday, Delhi Police beefed up security in Jamia Nagar. Joint CP (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava told The Indian Express, “We have put two pickets — one near gate 17 of Jamia and the other near MAK Pataudi Sports Complex. Volunteers at Jamia and Shaheen Bagh have been asked to be in touch with us. Rapid Action Force and CRPF too have been deployed.”
He said apart from him, Special CP (Law and Order, Southern Zone) R S Krishnia also met residents about security arrangements. Srivastava said, “We are communicating with Jamia alumni as well.”
ATO (Jamia) Khalid Hussain and SHO (Jamia Nagar) Upender Singh supervised the pickets. “The picket is now there 24×7. We assure students that they are safe,” Singh said.
The Jamia Coordination Committee also added an extra layer of security in the area. A volunteer said, “Near the stage at gate 7, there are two sections for frisking and checking — one each for men and women. We are checking their bags and IDs.”
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