Aligarh youth injured in anti-CAA protest dies, security beefed up in city

Security was beefed up in the old city areas in Aligarh after a youth injured in last month's violent clashes over the new citizenship law died at a hospital, police said on Saturday.

According to the spokesperson of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Mohammad Tariq Munawwar (22) had suffered gunshot injuries and was on ventilator support for the last few days.

Munawwar's condition deteriorated on Friday evening and he succumbed to injuries shortly before midnight, the hospital official said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muniraj G told mediapersons that security had been beefed up in all sensitive areas of the city as a precautionary measure.

On Thursday, police had arrested local BJP leader Vinay Varshney in connection with the attack on Munawwar, who was shot at and seriously wounded on February 23, when violence erupted at Upper Kot locality in the city after police evacuated some anti-CAA women protesters.

Varshney was arrested from his house in Babri Mandi and booked in an attempt to murder case along with two others who are still at large.

Besides the BJP leader, five others including Mustaqeem, Anwaar, Famhimuddin, Sabir and Imran were arrested for the violent incidents at Upper Kot.

However, claiming that Varshney had been framed, some Hindu right wing groups have started demanding his immediate release and have also organised protests.

As a result, several shops in the old city have remained shut for the last two days as an uneasy calm prevails in the area.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team has begun investigations into the violent clashes and asked those with any information including video evidence to come forward.

The request comes after a video purportedly showing Munawwar being shot at went viral on social media. The SSP also told reporters that all such videos were being examined by experts.

Anti-CAA protests: Prohibitory notices issued to 4,000 people in Aligarh

The police in Aligarh has issued prohibitory notices to 4,000 people, restricting their movement and warning them of action if there was any trouble in the Uttar Pradesh town on Friday.

The police have issued notices to 200 people with a criminal background under Section 110 (G) of the CrPc and initiated process of the Goonda Act against 50 persons.

Besides, around 100 arms license holders, who are residents of Shahjamal, Jamalpur and Jeevangarh areas, where protests are going on, have been issued warning notices, threatening cancellations of their licenses, if they were seen at the protest sites.

Aligarh SSP, Muniraj G, said that 'red notices' had been issued to 2,000 anti-social elements, informing them about restrictions on their movement and 2,000 others were issued notices under section 107/116 of the CrPC asking them to sign bonds wherein they would undertake not to breach peace.

He said the police was on high alert and patrolling on highways has been intensified in view of the violence in the national capital.

"Additional police force -- nine companies of PAC and four companies of RAF -- along with three additional SPs, eight deputy SPs and eight station house officers (SHO) of neighbouring districts have already been deployed in Aligarh as a precautionary measure," the SSP added.

He further said that non-lethal weapons including anti-riot guns, tear gas guns and tear gas grenades, have been distributed at the police stations falling in the sensitive areas.

Police have identified eight spots in the town which fall in sensitive areas and organised meetings with local leaders to maintain peace.

Internet services that had been suspended in Aligarh following violent clashes between anti-CAA protesters and the police on Sunday, remain suspended.

 

Anti-CAA protests: 19 IndiGo flights stand cancelled, 16 others delayed

Nineteen IndiGo flights were cancelled and 16 others were delayed as crew members were stuck in traffic jam at NH-8 due to anti-CAA protests on Thursday, a Delhi airport official said.

Three airlines -- Vistara, Air India and IndiGo -- announced that their passengers, who are stuck in traffic due to anti-CAA protests at various parts of Delhi, will be adjusted in subsequent flights.

"Till now, 16 flights have been delayed due to traffic jam at NH-8. IndiGo has cancelled 19 flights as the crew members were stuck in traffic jam and because of other issues," the official said.

Read our full coverage on Citizenship Bill