New Delhi: An unidentified man allegedly opened fire and hurled a petrol bomb Sunday at the empty protest site outside the Jamia Millia Islamia, according to officials and students of the university.
The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), comprising current and former students of the university, had temporarily suspended its sit-in protest against the new citizenship law Saturday in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, the JCC said a miscreant opened fire and hurled a petrol bomb at the protest site at Jamia Square, Gate No. 7 of the university. The statement added that CCTV footage showed the miscreant in the get-up of a delivery boy with a helmet and three bags on his bike, due to which its number plate was not visible. “Police have taken away the bullet, while pieces of a glass bottle are still there,” it said.
According to a university official, the incident occurred around 9.30am. “The man came from the Okhla side, probably after committing a similar act at Shaheen Bagh. He hurled a bottle at the tent near Gate No. 7,” the official informed.
“The tent was empty since the students had suspended the protest. As the tent did not catch fire, the man allegedly tried to set it ablaze using a lighter and fired a few rounds. We informed the police about the incident and handed over the CCTV footage to them. After the incident, the miscreant fled towards Julena,” the official added.
A similar incident occurred a few metres away at the Shaheen Bagh protest site earlier in the day where an unidentified person hurled a petrol bomb. No one sustained injuries in the incident.
PTI