Family members say boy arrested for firing on Hanuman Jayanti rally in Delhi
Family members of the man accused of firing during a clash during the Hanuman Jayanti rally in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Saturday have claimed he was a boy. The boy was arrested today.
The family of the accused in the riot showed his birth certificate and said he was a minor born in 2005. However, police said the accused in the FIR registered in connection with the clash on Saturday was 22 years old. Police have classified him as a ‘serial offender’ as he is said to be involved in another case in 2020. They also said a handgun had been recovered from him.
Clashes broke out between the two communities during the Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday evening in the Jahangirpuri area of north-west Delhi. Several policemen were injured in the ensuing violence, police said, adding that some vehicles were pelted with stones and set on fire. Locals said six rounds of gunfire were fired during the clash, with one policeman wounded in the shooting. An FIR has been registered in connection with the incident and 14 people have been arrested.
ASI Arunkumar was one of the victims of the Delhi Jahangirpuri violence. He said words could not describe what he saw and there was a commotion around.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, “When the Hanuman Jayanti procession reached Kushal whip, thousands of people suddenly came towards the procession and then there was stoning and attack from both sides. We tried to calm them down but no one was ready to listen to us. He had stones and bottles in his hands and several vehicles were set on fire, “he said.