New Delhi:
There's tension in East Delhi after last night's clashes between locals and police. One person died and two others were injured in the clashes in the Mayur Vihar area of the capital on Sunday night. The police had to fire in the air and resort to lathicharge to restrain the mob which torched a CNG filling station and set over 20 vehicles on fire. Around 25 people have been detained by the police and two cases have been registered.
Violence broke out between the cops and residents of Mayur Vihar Phase-3 after a young man was critically injured due to police action. The incident happened when two men on a scooter were stopped on Sunday afternoon by the cops at a traffic checkpoint reportedly for not wearing helmets. The police claim both men were drunk. An argument ensued between the cops, following which the bikers tried to speed away. To stop them, the cops hit one of them with a stick due to which he fell down on the road and was hit by a vehicle coming from behind.
However, locals claim that the man was hit by the policemen when he ignored a traffic signal. The injured motorist was taken to the Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital where he is reportedly in a critical condition.
After the incident, a mob lashed out at the police. Along with a CNG filling station and several vehicles including a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus, they set a police station and a police post on fire.
"The injured are in Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital, my Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) who is giving me information on the phone has informed that one boy has been hit on the shoulder and there is a dead body too. Five police constables have been injured, in the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) hospital, there is one person with bullet injuries and the other scooterist, because of whom the whole incident has been triggered, happens to have been beaten with lathis," said BM Mishra, Deputy Commissioner, East.
Around 20 companies comprising 1,600 men of the Delhi Armed Police have been deployed in and around the Mayur Vihar area.
To avoid further tension, roads to the area have been blocked by police and pickets have been set up every 500 metres. Ambulances and fire tenders have been stationed for any emergency situation.
Police said that the situation was under control after 10.30 pm, but miscreants in Khoda colony, falling in adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh, were still pelting stones at police sporadically.