Charges have been registered under the Arms Act and a case of attempt to murder lodged against the youth who opened fire yesterday at protesters who had taken out an anti-CAA march from Shaheen Bagh to Rajghat.
According to sources, the case has been registered on the basis of the statement of the injured Jamia student Shadab who sustained a bullet injury to his arm after the shooter opened fire at the gathering. Several march participants said the man who opened fire was a “follower of Nathuram Godse”. “We are following the ideology of Gandhi, but the same ideology that killed Mahatma wanted to kill us,” said a participant.
According to witnesses, a man was seen raising religious slogans before he opened fire with a country-made pistol at the rally.
“The accused was taken into custody immediately after the incident. The weapon used by the attacker in the firing was also seized,” Delhi Police spokesperson Anil Mittal said yesterday.
The accused will now be questioned by the Crime Branch as the probe into the incident has been handed over to it, Delhi Police HQ said in a statement.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government will not tolerate such incidents and the guilty will not be spared.
The home minister took to Twitter to share his statement, saying “I talked to the Delhi Police Commissioner (Amulya Patnaik) over the incident and directed him to take strict action.”
Meanwhile the Congress has launched a scathing attack on the government after the incident.
“The huge rise in hate crimes around the country are a reflection of the Godse fan club this government has created through their venomous politics & idolisation of Nathuram Godse,” Congress’ official handle tweeted.
The Congress has alleged that the firing on protesters was the result of the hate which the BJP was propagating. “The statements made by the BJP are fuelling this environment and this is to polarise Delhi which is done by people who are sitting at the top level in this government,” he said.