Security was ramped up in Delhi’s Nangloi area on Saturday after stones were pelted during a “tazia” procession on the occasion of Muharram, injuring 12, including six policemen and damaging several vehicles, officials said.
Several government buses were damaged by a group of men participating in the procession. Stones were pelted and the windows and windshields of many vehicles were broken, according to CNN-News18. According to the viral videos, people riding in buses and other vehicles were seen trying to protect themselves from the chaos.
In one of the viral video seen by News18, miscreants with sticks and stones damaged government buses on a busy road in outer Delhi. The video, shot from inside a DTC bus, showed a group of people hurling stones and beating the bus as it passed by. One of the people inside the bus is heard telling other passengers to duck down as the sounds of sticks hitting the bus and stones pelting echoed. Rearview mirrors, glass windows and windshields of several DTC buses were seen shattered following the incident.
Police sources said some individuals deliberately attempted to disturb the peace and tranquility of Delhi. The Delhi Police may soon register a case under several serious sections for disturbing communal harmony, they said.
People involved in the procession wanted the “tazia” to be taken inside the Surajmal Stadium as well, News18 reports said. However, the gate of the stadium was closed and the police did not allow them to enter. This made some people enraged and they began pelting stones.
The situation is now normal, police said and a large number of forces have been deployed on the spot.
Police said six police personnel and six volunteers, including five women, suffered minor injuries and some police vehicles were damaged during the stone pelting incident, according to a PTI report.
Delhi Police DCP, outer district, Harendra Singh said around 8,000-10,000 people had gathered in the area for several “tazia” processions and were initially moving peacefully. “However, a few organizers decided to take a different path from the prescribed “tazia” route for which we had given permission. When we denied them, they began misbehaving,” he said.
“To control them and ensure public safety, a mild lathi-charge was administered and they were dispersed. Some police officials received minor injuries and some police vehicles were damaged, but the situation is now under control,” the official said.
“Special Commissioner of Police Sagar Preet Hooda reached the Outer Delhi area and took stock of the situation,” Singh added.
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