In Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, Superintendent of Police, Amit Singh made a shocking revelation that kids as young as seven years old were part of the mob which pelted stones at the police during the anti-CAA riots. He said that kids and teenagers between the age of 7 to 15 years who had no idea regarding CAA or NRC pelted stones at policemen and damaged police vehicles.
Listen to Jabalpur’s SP.
How children are being used as stone pelters? Who trains these kids? Who stores so many stones? Who attacks police?
None will be spared, videos have been taken – Says SP Amit Singh
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) December 21, 2019
Usually the allegations are put on police that they lathicharged the kids and used teargas on minors but even now there are some parts of the city where little children are indulging in stone-pelting, the police officer said. “Not only the children but action will be taken against their guardians as well,” he said. Following the violence, curfew was imposed in the area to bring situation under control.
A protest march attended by mobs against the Citizenship Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) took a violent turn in Jabalpur.
Reportedly, the violent mobs pelted stones at not only policemen but also media personnel and damaged public properties. The mob pelted stones at policemen and media personnel and damaged public property. As mobs went on a rampage some of the police officers were injured, who are now taken to the hospital.
SP Singh further added that large presence of masked children in the crowd was a clear indication that they were instigated by certain elements, adding police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob. As the priority is to bring things under control, curfew had been imposed in four police station areas, he added.
The police official said that the mobs resorted to stone-pelting soon after Friday prayers and locals disbanded into small groups and disappeared in small lanes and tried to lead processions. The mob consisting of children and teenagers also attacked reporters and camera crew and warned them against the covering the unrest. Several media persons were hit by stones.
The violent protests by Muslim mob took place after thousands took to streets on Friday afternoon to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Following the riots, curfew has been imposed in four police station areas — Adhartal, Hanumantal, Gohalpur and Kotwali.
Curfew has now been relaxed in Jabalpur even as section 144 remains imposed in as many as 50 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Bhopal Qazi has appealed for peace.
