In this long-running series, Scroll.in reporters look back at their experiences while reporting. On February 24, the road connecting Jaf...
In this long-running series, Scroll.in reporters look back at their experiences while reporting.
On February 24, the road connecting Jafrabad and Maujpur in North East Delhi was tense. Police and paramilitary personnel armed with batons, shields and anti-riot gear were everywhere. Two days earlier, residents and protestors against the Citizenship Amendment Act had occupied the stretch under the Jafrabad metro station, blocking the road.
The situation had escalated on February 23 after Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra amassed his followers barely a kilometre from the gathering of people in Jafrabad protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act, which introduces a religious criterion into Indian citizenship law and discriminates against Muslims. With a senior police officer standing next to him, Mishra gave the authorities a three-day ultimatum to clear the protestors from the roads. Otherwise, his followers would have to do so themselves, he said.
Mishra’s speech raised tensions in the area and precipitated skirmishes that afternoon on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s visit to New Delhi.
I was in the area on February 24 to find out what exactly had happened. What did Mishra say and what effect did his comments have?
The stretch connecting Jafrabad and Maujpur lies directly under the metro line. I walked down the 2 km...
