LUCKNOW: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad said on Sunday that the communal violence in Delhi has shattered brotherhood in the country and appealed to all to maintain peace and "uphold humanism".
"The violence in Delhi continued for three days, and the Union Home minister was there. They had the power to stop the violence in a span of an hour, but it was not stopped.
"It shattered the brotherhood in the country. I would appeal to all to maintain peace, unity and uphold humanism," he said.
The riots in northeast Delhi last week, which was sparked by protests over the amended citizenship law, and has left 42 dead and over 200 injured.
About his visit to the state capital, Azad said his aim was to strengthen his outfit and chalk out a strategy for "a movement" in Uttar Pradesh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Population Register and any nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Asked whether he has been placed under house arrest, Azad said, "I do not know, but force has been deployed. It seems that I have been placed under house arrest. Rest you can enquire from the Lucknow police."
A senior police officer, however, said, "He has not been placed under house arrest. We had knowledge that he will be in the city and we came here to ensure peace is maintained." When asked whether he would be allowed to go to the Ghantaghar area in the old quarters of the city where anti-CAA protests have been going on, the police officer said, "He has not been barred from going anywhere."