TV
New Delhi: A man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in the city's Jamia Millia Islamia University on Thursday, injuring a student, before calmly walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting 'Yeh lo aazadi' amid heavy police presence in the area, witnesses said.
The man was subsequently overpowered by police and taken into custody.
The entire drama, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, Take this independence.
Some TV channels said the gunman was identified as Gopal but this could not be immediately confirmed.
"We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI.
She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured in his left hand and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
Al-Ameen, another student, said the man was brandishing his pistol and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi (Here, take your freedom)".
There was heavy police and media presence when the incident took place.
The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat. The march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university.
Students squatted in the area, asking the police to go back. As they raised slogans of "Go back, go back", police officials asked them to maintain peace and conduct their protest peacefully.
Chinmoy Biswal, DCP (southeast), said the students wanted to take out a march from Jamia to Rajghat but were denied permission.
"They were being repeatedly told that the protest should be carried out peacefully. We had barricaded the road just before the Holy Family hospital. Meanwhile, a person was seen in the crowd who waved something which appeared to be a weapon."
Massive protests erupted in the area after the incident with hundreds of agitated people gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel.
The man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", was subsequently overpowered by police and detained. He was taken into custody and was being interrogated, police said.
"We have detained him and are interrogating him. One person has also been injured," Biswal said.
Minutes before he fired at anti-CAA protesters in Jamia Nagar on Thursday, the armed man wrote multiple Facebook posts berating the agitators and their 'Aazaadi' slogans, and hinting he was prepared for any eventuality.
He wrote: "Aazaadi de raha hun (giving you the freedom)", "Shaheen bhag khel khatm" (Run Shaheen, the game is over), "Mere ghar ka khayal rakhna" (take care of my home) and "meri antim yatra par mujhe bhagve me le jayen aur shree ram ke nare hon" (wrap me in the saffron for my last rites and chant Shri Ram).
The man who named himself "Rambhakt Gopal" in his Facebook profile, which has now been deleted, also said he is taking revenge for "Chandan Bhai", apparently referring to a Chandan Gupta who died of gunshot wounds after he was shot at during a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate the Republic Day in 2018.
"Chandan bhai ye badla aapke liye hai (this revenge is for you)," he had posted.
(PTI)
