2 men on bike fire in air near anti-CAA protest site in Delhi; personal enmity, say cops
New Delhi, Feb 7: Two bike-borne men allegedly open fired in the air near an anti-CAA protest site in northeast Delhi's Jafrabad on Friday, but the police said it appeared to be a fallout of personal enmity and not related to the stir over the contentious law.
No one was injured in the incident, which some protesters alleged to be a repeat of intimidation tactics after the firings near Jamia Millia Islamia and at Shaheen Bagh.
According to the police, Shabir (50) was at his garments shop when two men arrived on a motorcycle and fired two rounds. The Jafrabad police rushed to the spot after the incident.
"A case has been registered and an investigation initiated," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya said.
He said police are trying to find out if any CCTV camera was installed in the area and obtain footage of the alleged incident to ascertain the sequence of events and establish the identity of the suspects.
"The firing was not in connection with the anti-CAA protests. We suspect it to be a case of some personal enmity," a senior police official said.
The incident took place barely 400 metres from the site where people have been protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act since last month. Some agitators claim it to be a threat tactics and with every such incident, and alleged the accused are changing their modus operandi.
Nihal Ashraf, one of the protesters at Jafrabad, said, "The armed men fired three rounds in the air and fled the spot. They were on a scooter without a number plate unlike the Jamia incident in which the vehicle used by those who fired had a number plate. The two men fired after moving a few metres ahead of our protest site".
Mohd Irshad, a Jamia student, said a youth fired outside the Jamia Millia Islamia on January 30 and also shot a student in front of the police.
"He (youth outside Jamia) provoked and then fired. In the second incident on February 1 at Shaheen Bagh, the assailant fired from a few metres away from the main gathering to cause disturbance.
"In the third incident again outside Jamia on February 2, the assailants shot in the air from the opposite road so that they could not be caught like the previous two accused. However, the police got their vehicle number. Therefore, the assailants at Jafrabad got a vehicle without a number plate," he said.
Protests resumed after sometime.
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Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan defiant after facing verbal missiles on Op Sindoor remarks
Mumbai (PTI): Despite facing criticism, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments that India faced a "total defeat" in aerial fight with Pakistan on the first day of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The former Union minister refused to apologise for his comments on the Indian military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of massacre of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday, Chavan claimed India faced a "total defeat in the aerial fight (with Pakistan) on May 7 which lasted for half-an-hour".
"One may believe this or not. After that the Indian Air Force got grounded and not a single aircraft took flight that day.... be it Gwalior, Bhatinda or Sirsa, there was a possibility of aircraft being shot down, so our complete Air Force was grounded," the former Maharashtra chief minister had said.
Hitting out at Chavan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the Congress of speaking the language of Pakistan. He said questioning the military action was akin to demoralising the morale of armed forces.
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"The criticism does not stem from the love of the nation, but love for Pakistan," said the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Chavan, however, remained defiant.
"There is no question of apologising. The Constitution has given me the right to ask questions," the Congress veteran asserted.
Chavan also questioned the need of having a 12-lakh strong Army when future wars will be about aerial combats and missiles. "During Operation Sindoor we saw that there was no movement of the Army even for a kilometre," he had said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said Chavan's remarks are loaded with sedition.
"He (Chavan) has refused to apologise. The Indian armed forces struck 100 kms inside the Pakistan territory and destroyed 11 air strips (of the Pakistani Air Force). He made remarks that the Indian Army did not even move an inch (during the military operation). This is nothing but a statement full of sedition, a statement of a traitor," Patra said, lashing out at the Congress leader.
The BJP spokesperson maintained the Congress appears to be standing with Chavan and alleged the Opposition party is playing into foreign hands.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should apologise for it, he added.
Union minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP insisted it was not right to devalue the valour of Indian armed forces.
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh suggested that wherever armed forces are concerned, every Indian should be mindful of statements they make and ensure their comments do not demoralise the military.
Operation Sindoor was a result of "mistakes of politicians", he claimed.
TDP MP Krishna Devraylu said after the poll defeat in Bihar, the Congress is rattled and their leaders have been talking absurdly.
"Chavan's remarks are a prime example of this. This kind of disrespect to our armed forces is not necessary. If the Congress is angry with the NDA, it should show it in a different way and not drag armed forces into it," Devraylu opined.
AAP MP Ashok Mittal said such statements should not be made by any senior politician, especially by someone who has been a former chief minister.
The Indian armed forces registered a strong victory and destroyed terror launchpads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mittal added.
