A Delhi Police head constable was killed and a Deputy Commissioner was injured during the clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Maujpur in Delhi on February 24th, 2020.

Head Constable Ratan Lal was posted in the ACP Gokalpuri office in Delhi. Protests broke out between pro and anti-CAA demonstrations across multiple northeast Delhi neighbourhoods for a second time in less than 24 hours.

The clashes took an ugly turn when the protesters of both the sides started pelting stone at each other. Lal was severely injured on his head in the attack while trying to pacify the agitators.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries. Several other police personnel have been injured in the clashes, as per media reports.

Several vehicles, shops and houses were torched on February 24th, 2020, a day after clashes broke out between pro and anti-CAA protesters.

Police had to resort to firing tear gas shells and lathi-charge to disperse the protesters.

The tension in the Maujpur area in Delhi had escalated on the evening of February 23rd, 2020 when a group of people pelted stones at another group that was holding a demonstration against the controversial CAA.

The CAA aims to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31st, 2014.

As many as 26 people have been killed so far in the ongoing protests against the amended citizenship law. The legislation has been criticised in India and abroad for allegedly violating the Constitution of India and its promise of equality under Article 14. It was also criticised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Photo: Twitter