Violence returned to Delhi on Tuesday as angry protesters poured into the streets and pelted policemen with pieces of brick in the Seelampur-Jaffrabad area, located in the territory's northeast.
The demonstration is the latest example of widespread discontent with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, a law that deals with refugee naturalisation and which critics say is anti-Muslim. The police in Seelampur were heavily outnumbered, and constant tear gas shelling made breathing difficult. The streets were cloaked in a haze and strewn with broken brick.
"It started as a peaceful protest against the citizenship bill ... but got out of hand."- Resident
The mood in the capital has been tense since buses and police vehicles were set ablaze in an outbreak of violence near Jamia Millia Islamia, a well-known public university, on Sunday.
The varsity's students denied involvement, and police action inside the campus later that evening sparked nationwide protests.
HOW THE SEELAMPUR VIOLENCE BEGAN
They said people gathered at around 1.15 pm and marched towards Seelampur. The protest was peaceful but violence erupted when they were dispersing, the sources said.
A photo showed the words "We Reject CAB" graffitied on a wall in Seelampur. Another photo showed a policeman with a badly injured eye.
"It started as a peaceful protest against the citizenship bill ... but got out of hand," Azib Aman, said a resident.
As many as seven metro stations -- Seelampur on the Red Line and Welcome, Jaffrabad, Maujpur-Babarpur, Shiv Vihar, Johri Enclave and Gokulpuri on the Pink Line -- have been closed.
Citizens are advised to follow the Twitter handles of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) and the Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) for travel advisories.
