NEW DELHI: Police said that the situation in areas hit by violence during protests against the new citizenship law is gradually returning to normal. They further assured that a heavy deployment of security personnel was made in Old Delhi and Seemapuri areas. Stone-pelting and incidents of violence were reported from Daryaganj in Old Delhi and Seemapuri in northeast part of the national capital on Friday.
Manish Seth, secretary of Daryaganj Traders’ Association, said all shops in the area opened on Saturday morning and that there was no unrest. He said police kept a tight vigil in the area. The area surrounding Jama Masjid, where a large number of protesters gathered on Friday evening, was also quiet and businesses ran as usual. Talking about the ongoing protests in the country, a shopkeeper, on the condition of anonymity, said while he “supported the cause, such incidents only harm business”.
“There were already no jobs, economy is going down by the day, and now people are scared for their citizenship. There is not a single thing that is going to be positive because of CAA,” the shopkeeper said.
Asif, a rickshaw puller near Jama Masjid, said these were “bad days” and it was “best to stay inside”.“Of course it is going to affect our wages. If not today, maybe tomorrow we can earn some money. What will we do if we are not even alive or free to do that,” the 53-year-old said.
With PTI inputs