A teen opened fire at people protesting the citizenship law near the Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi this afternoon, injuring a student of the university. He shouted "yeh lo azaadi" (here's your freedom) as he walked down the heavily guarded road near the university flashing a gun at the protesters. The incident took place only meters away from dozens of policemen deployed outside the university, where protesters had gathered for a march.
Delhi Police has arrested the attacker after he was overpowered by the students.
Violence had broken out at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia university last month during a protest against the citizenship law. Earlier this month, masked goons attacked students and teachers at JNU, triggering nationwide outrage and protests.
Here are the updates on the Jamia incident:
I am deeply aggrieved by today's heartless incident in which one of our students, Shadab Farooq (MA Mass Communication) was shot by a miscreant. I am proud to say that you are committed to the ideals of the Indian Constitution and Gandhian principles of non-violence. Your wise avoidance of retaliation, as always, bears testimony to this fact. I have been reported that you were peacefully asserting your rights to protest on the road near Jamia boundary, while a huge police force was deployed near Holy Family hospital.
All of sudden a miscreant emerged from nowhere brandishing his pistol amid his provoking slogans. Sadly enough, he opened indiscriminate fire on you, injuring Shadab Farooq. I, along with Jamia fraternity, condemn this murderous and brutal act. I also condemn the silence of the police who stood just at a stone's throw from the miscreant. It speaks volumes about them.
We, Jamia fraternity, stand with Shadab Farooq and his family. If the miscreant had been nabbed by the police on time, this deplorable incident could have been averted. I am proud of you, my dear students, for you acted very sensibly and resisted the natural urge of reaction and retaliation. Your wise act on the day of the martyrdom of Gandhiji is a great and reverent homage to him and to his stupendous moral courage.
We wish Shadab Farooq a speedy recovery. We must also express our sincere thanks to Almighty that Shadab Farooq is safe.
Professor Najma Akhtar
Vice Chancellor
Jamia Millia Islamia"
Protest outside the Jamia Millia Islamia that began soon after a man opened fire at a group of anti-CAA agitators was called off after police released four detained protesters, police and university officials said Thursday. Joint Commissioner of Police DC Srivastava said all detained students, barring one, have been released.
At around 1.30pm, while the gathering was moving, one person suddenly came out of it brandishing a small firearm like object and within a split second, before anyone could assess or react to what he was doing, the man suddenly fired towards the marching students.
Since the permission for march was not granted, heavy police pickets with barricades were set up at Sukhdev Vihar and Holy Family Hospital to contain the march. The police staff immediately rushed towards the person and overpowered him. As the barricades were tied with each other to deal with the proposed march, the injured was immediately taken to the nearest hospital i.e. Holy Family by lifting him from behind the barricades in order to save precious time. DCP/South-East also reached the hospital in no time, to ensure that proper medical treatment was extended to the injured, who has been identified as Mr. Shadaab Farooque, a student of Jamia University. A case u/s 307 IPC & 25/27 Arms Act has been registered at PS New Friends Colony.
Special Commissioners of Police Sh. Satish Golchha and Sh. Praveer Ranjan have visited AIIMS Trauma Centre where the injured has now been shifted. The officers assured the victim of all possible help in treatment and recovery. Pellet has been removed from the left arm of the injured. As per doctor, his condition is stated to be stable.
The case has been transferred to Crime Branch for further investigation."
Suddenly an outsider appeared on the road between the peaceful marchers and the police personnel deployed there. He brandished a gun in his hand and fired a shot which hit Shadab Farooq, a student of 2nd Semester of MA, Mass Communication, JMI.
The shooter has been apprehended by the police and taken into custody.
The injured student who received injury in his hand was first sent to Holy Family Hospital and later to AIIMS Trauma Centre. The injury which he sustained in gun shot in his hand was operated upon successfully and he is recovering well.
Teachers are present with him at AIIMS and reported that he is feeling better now.
JMI is committed to extend all help including medical assistance to the injured student.
All the safety measures have already been taken to make the campus secure. Students are being appealed to maintain peace."
The shooter who fired at a protest against the citizenship law near Jamia Millia University this afternoon is a 17-year-old schoolboy who left home in the morning saying he was going to school. Later, the family was to go to a wedding. Somehow, instead of his school at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, he landed up at the protest, with a gun in hidden in his black jacket. He blended in with the protesters for a while, even streaming live on Facebook.
His family was stunned when they learnt that he was the gunman at the Delhi protest. The Class 11 student had been acting odd and saying strange things in the past four days, said his uncle. His friends described him as a simple boy with no political connections. That perception is completely contradicted by his Facebook page, which has several incendiary posts.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said the Jamia firing incident is the result of BJP ministers and leaders inciting crowds with incendiary slogans and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to answer whether he stands with violence or with non-violence. When provocative speeches are given by BJP leaders, such incidents are possible, she added. Ms Gandhi also asked the prime minister what kind of Delhi he wanted and whether he stood by anarchy or development.
जब भाजपा सरकार के मंत्री और नेता लोगों को गोली मारने के लिए उकसाएँगे, भड़काऊ भाषण देंगे तब ये सब होना मुमकिन है। प्रधानमंत्री को जवाब देना चाहिए कि वे कैसी दिल्ली बनाना चाहते हैं?
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) January 30, 2020
वे हिंसा के साथ खड़े हैं या अहिंसा के साथ?
वे विकास के साथ खड़े हैं या अराजकता के साथ? pic.twitter.com/jWywAqAW3G
"When ministers in the BJP government and leaders provoke people to shoot and give provocative speeches, then such incidents are possible. The prime minister should answer what kind of Delhi he wants to build. Is he standing with violence or non-violence. Is he standing with development or anarchy," she asked in a tweet in Hindi.
The shooting incident at Jamia Millia Islamia University seems to have completed India's transition from democracy to mobocracy, a tweet on PDP president Mehbooba Mufti's Twitter handle said on Thursday.
"As we remember Gandhiji on the sombre occasion of his death anniversary, India's transition from democracy to a mobocracy seems complete," a tweet on Mehbooba Mufti's Twitter handle read.
As we remember Gandhiji on the sombre occasion of his death anniversary, India's transition from democracy to a mobocracy seems complete. https://t.co/yu1I6Qwe2Z
- Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 30, 2020
Interesting that certain media channels are referring to culprit named Gopal as 'shooter'. He'd be a certified terrorist only if his name was Ghazi or Ghazanfar.
- Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 30, 2020
Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti has been operating her mother's Twitter handle since August 5 last year following detention of the former chief minister after the abrogation of article 370.
A man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in the university today, injuring a student, before calmly walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area, reported PTI.
United Youth Brigade has called for a protest outside the Delhi Police headquarters at 9PM tonight to protest against "the shameful support of the Delhi Police to the attacker and to demand the arrest of Anurag Thakur". The protesters are also demanding "strict action against the attacker and his bosses".
"Instead of giving employment to the youth, the Modi-government has tyurned them into terrorists. People like Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma are the masterminds behind this Jamia incident. Today, reading the preamble to the constitution is now considered inflammatory while flashing a weapon is a mark of patritism. The police have become mute spectators and forwarding the agenda of the BJP, tweets Bjim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
युवाओं को नौकरी देने की जगह मोदी सरकार ने आतंकवादी बना दिया है अनुराग ठाकुर,प्रवेश वर्मा जैसे लोग #Jamia की इस घटना के मास्टरमाईंड हैं। आज देश मे संविधान की प्रस्तावना पढ़ना भड़काऊ और हथियार लहराना राष्ट्रभक्ति बन गया है पुलिस मूकदर्शक बन बीजेपी के एजेंडे को चला रही है।
- Chandra Shekhar Aazad (@BhimArmyChief) January 30, 2020
Protesters have called for a gathering at the Delhi Police Headquarters in ITO today at 7pm. This is to protest against the firing on peacefully assembled Jamia students and the serious injury sustained by one. The protesters are demanding "strict action against the attacker and free and fair probe in the incident, suspension of Delhi Police officers who allowed this to happen and the immediate action and arrests of BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra and others who gave inflammatory speeches and led to the terror attack on students".
Arvind Kejriwal replies to Amit Shah's tweet on Jamia firing and says, "What is happening in Delhi? Delhi's law and order is deteriorating. Please take care of Delhi's law and order."
ये दिल्ली में क्या हो रहा है? दिल्ली की क़ानून व्यवस्था बिगड़ती जा रही है। कृपया दिल्ली की क़ानून व्यवस्था को सम्भालिये https://t.co/jtBtDqncND
- Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 30, 2020
"Anybody who breaks the law must be taken to task, it's simple as that. Anyone who does this should be taken to task. Nobody is bigger than law or bigger than the country," says Kiren Rijiju on Jamia firing, reported ANI.
Hate speech, call to violence by ministers and BJP leaders, and silence of the prime minister has led to this shameful outcome: CPI(M) on Jamia shooting, reports PTI.
आज दिल्ली में जो गोली चलाने की घटना हुयी है उसपर मैंने दिल्ली पुलिस कमिश्नर से बात की है और उन्हें कठोर से कठोर कार्यवाही करने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
- Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 30, 2020
केंद्र सरकार इस तरह की किसी भी घटना को बर्दाश्त नहीं करेगी, इसपर गंभीरता से कार्यवाही की जाएगी और दोषी को बख्शा नहीं जायेगा।
Delhi Police have requested for reinforcements outside Jamia where the force has been assembled. Over 1000 students have gathered outside the university and have removed the barricades put in by the police. The protesters can be seen with the national flag.
Police yet to register an FIR against the 19-year-old attacker.
All three Metro stations reopened in Delhi
Congress MP and spokesperson Manish Tewari saod, "The Jamia incident shows that the soul of India has been trampled upon."
The accused is a resident of Dau ji Mohalla in Uttar Pradesh's Jewar near Delhi. The father has a paan shop in Jewar. The accused reached the Jamia area with a country-made pistol hidden in his jacket and stood among the protesters who had gathered their for a march against CAA and NRC. Suddenly, he pulled out the pistol and fired.
"Ever since Amit Shah has taken over as the Home Minister, the law and order situation has deteriorated with each passing day. He is the most worthless among all other ministers. The Jamia incident is proof that BJP wants to instigate and trigger riots in Delhi. They are doing this out of fear that they will lose the Delhi polls. This is a conspiracy of the BJP and the incident happened right in front of the police and Delhi Police comes under the Centre. Amit Shah has released fake videos earlier. The situation is tense. BJP wants to defer the elections in Delhi from fear of loss, says AAP MP Sanjay Singh after a man opened fire near Jamia University.
The man who opened fire at people protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act near the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi on Thursday afternoon had gone live on Facebook minutes before he drew out his gun.
CPI general secretary D Raja said the incident of firing at Jamia Milia Islamia was a "direct result" of incretionary comments made by BJP leaders while campaigning for the Delhi Assembly polls. Mr Raja told PTI that it was unfortunate that such an incident had happened on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Jamia firing incident a direct result of provocative statements made by BJP leaders during campaigning in Delhi. BJP leader Anurag Thakur should be arrested for his comments urging crowds to raise slogans of shooting the traitors," Mr Raja said.
The Election Commission has barred Union Minister Anurag Thakur from campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls for three days and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for four days for their controversial remarks.
"Entry & exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi Gate are closed," tweeted Delhi Metro officials.
An unidentified man opened fire at people protesting the citizenship law near the Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi this afternoon, causing chaos and panic in the area. A student of the university has been injured.