A mosque has been set on fire in the Indian capital New Delhi as violent protests continue across the city with the death toll rising to 18.
Indian website The Wire reported that a mob shouting “Jai Shri Ram”, translated to “hail Lord Ram”, paraded around the burning mosque in the Ashok Nagar area of the capital on Tuesday.
Video footage shared on social media showed a mob climbing to the top of the mosque’s minaret where they attempted to plant a saffron flag.
Local media reported that shops in the area were also being targeted by the mob.
A woman speaks with a police officer during a sit-in protest in a riot affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Police imposed a restriction on large gatherings in northeast Delhi as reports emerged of stone-pelting and more structures being set ablaze.
Sunil Kumar, Medical Director of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where the injured were taken to, told Al Jazeera that 18 people have died in the violence, including a policeman who passed away yesterday.
Anil Mittal, a senior police officer, said approximately 150 people were injured in the violence that started as US President Donald Trump arrived on a two-day India trip.
Fresh violence has been reported from Muslim populated areas such as Karawal Nagar, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Vijay Park and Yamuna Vihar, while stones were thrown in neighbourhoods such as Maujpur.
The clashes erupted on Sunday after supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), passed by Parliament last December, attacked anti-government protest sites. The CAA, dubbed “anti-Muslim”, has triggered nationwide protests, especially by Muslims.
The violence started a day after the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra warned anti-CAA protesters to end their peaceful sit-ins in the northeastern Jafrabad and Maujpur areas of the Indian capital. (Agencies)
A firefighter walks past damaged shops at a tyre market after they were set on fire by a mob in a riot affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A police vehicle moves past burning debris that was set on fire by demonstrators in a riot affected area after fresh clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
A man speaks on his mobile phone in a riot affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Women speak with a police officer during a sit-in protest in a riot affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
A firefighter walks past damaged shops at a tyre market after they were set on fire by a mob in a riot affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
