Mob assaults cops in southeast Delhi

NEW DELHI: Tension prevailed in Shaheen Bagh area of southeast Delhi on Tuesday evening after a team of Delhi Police, which had reportedly gone there to catch a car lifter, was allegedly attacked by locals. Around 500 people gathered on the main road and shouted anti-police slogans. They then marched towards the Jamia Nagar police station, demanding action against the police team.The locals got into a scuffle with the cops and also held them captive for a while.
Hamid Ali, a social activist in the Batla House area, said: “The protest is against police atrocities. This is not the first time that the police have resorted to this practice of picking up people randomly at will. They should inform the local police at least if the need arises. Otherwise such covert operations could lead to unrest in the area and disturb peace.”
The locals and police gave different versions of the incident. While some, including the family members of freelance journalist SMA Kazmi, accused of having a role in the February 13 Israeli diplomat attack case, alleged that the team of special cell officers had come to pick one of their kin, the cops said they had no such intention.
Kazmi’s son, Shauzab, alleged that the special cell officers made an attempt to pick up his cousin, Mohammad Zama, from his Kalindi Kunj residence. He told TOI: "My cousin is 16 year old. Some five-six men today went to his house claiming that they were from Maharashtra ATS. We came to know later that they were special cell officers. They are just harassing us. We have been receiving threats from police officers and now my minor cousin was about to be picked up. People in the area stopped them". Zama, however, told a TOI reporter that the cops had come to pick up one of ‘his’ cousins.
Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar told TOI, ''A team of the anti-auto theft squad of south-east district had gone there as they had information about a car lifter. When the team tried to catch him, people stopped the team. All other allegations are baseless and false.''
Special Cell officers too denied any such attempt. “Why would we pick up anybody in the Israeli attack case. We have already filed a chargesheet," they pointed out.