A 'shoot-at-sight' order has been issued in parts of northeast Delhi as violence continued in the capital city on Tuesday night, police sources told IANS. According to sources in Delhi Police's north-east district department, the shoot-at-sight order was announced parts of northeast Delhi, while four areas are also under curfew.
The death toll climbed to 13 as clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act gripped parts of New Delhi, with rioters burning and looting shops, pelting stones and thrashing people. Over 200 people, including 48 police personnel and several journalists, have been injured and half of the civilians have suffered gunshot wounds, hospital authorities said.
Several localities, including Chand Bagh, Bhajanpura, Maujpur-Babarpur, and Jafrabad, witnessed violence between right wing and anti-CAA protesters.
The violence, which started on Sunday after anti-CAA protesters blocked a road outside Jaffrabad Metro station and BJP leader Kapil Mishra called a gathering in favour of CAA, intensified on Tuesday, despite shored up security in the city in view of US President Donald Trump's visit.
Late on Tuesday, locals in the Maujpur area claimed that announcements were being made by police on loudspeakers about promulgation of shoot-at-sight orders, but Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya initially denied it.
The protesters withdrew from the site on Tuesday night.
As Delhi Police faced allegations of inaction, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting at noon with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, city police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and others on steps to restore peace.
IPS officer S N Shrivastava was appointed as the new Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Law and Order) after the Union Home Ministry repatriated him from the CRPF on Tuesday night to take control of the situation in the wake of communal violence in the city, officials said.
Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa said 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence. Over 20 persons have been detained and only one person, identified as Shahrukh who had fired a few rounds in the air after brandishing a gun at a policeman, has been arrested.
Sixty-seven companies of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the area, police sources said.
With PTI and IANS inputs