Delhi court sends Jamia shooter to 14-day protective custody

The 17-year-old minor from Uttar Pradesh had triggered panic in the area by opening fire on the anti-CAA protesters in broad daylight in presence of policemen deployed there.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday sent the 17-year-old minor shooter who had on Thursday opened fire on anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters at Delhi's Jamia area to 14-day protective custody. The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has, meanwhile, applied to carry out an ossification test of the Jamia shooter to ascertain his age. The 17-year-old minor, who is a resident of Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, had triggered panic in the area by opening fire on the anti-CAA protesters in broad daylight in presence of policemen deployed there.

The entire drama, which was captured by television cameras, showed the young 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, "Here, take this freedom." 

Behind him, a group of policemen could be seen in the frame. Seconds later, he was apprehended by the police.

As tension spiralled in the area, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Twitter that he had spoken to the Delhi police commissioner to take strictest possible action. The Home Minister also said the Central government will not tolerate such incidents and the guilty will not be spared.

The gunman went live on Facebook, where he identified himself as ''Rambhakt'' before brandishing the gun. Before the attack, the man put out messages on Facebook, referencing the Shaheen Bagh protests nearby.

His Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of his posts were circulated widely on social media platforms.

Thursday's incident echoed the tensions of December 15 when the Jamia University virtually turned into a battlefield as police entered the campus and also used force, following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Several students and others were injured. Besides, four DTC buses, 100 private vehicles and 10 police bikes were damaged. On Tuesday, in Shaheen Bagh, a man armed with a gun entered the protest area but was overpowered. The incident, ahead of the February 8 Delhi elections, led to several political leaders hit out at the Centre.