Mehbooba Mufti says Jamia shooting completes 'transition from democracy to mobocracy'

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday has reacted to the incident in the national capital where a gun-wielding man opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens near the Jamia Millia Islamia. Mufti said that "India's transition from democracy to a mobocracy seems complete."

'As we remember Gandhiji...'

Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija who has taken over Mehbooba's Twitter account since 5 August when the PDP president was placed under detention in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 tweeted saying, "As we remember Gandhiji on the sombre occasion of his death anniversary, India’s transition from democracy to a mobocracy seems complete."

In a shocking incident on Thursday, an armed man identified as Gopal was detained on Thursday after he brandished a pistol and fired at students of Jamia Millia Islamia University who were protesting against CAA and NRC. The incident took place when protesters were marching towards Rajghat to hold a protest.

"Kisko chahiye azadi? Main dunga azadi"

According to reports, the man shouted, "Who wants Azadi, I'll give you Azadi" and then fired on the protesters. The student, identified as Shahdab, was shot at in the left wrist. He was taken to a hospital and is undergoing treatment. "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, was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

An armed man entered protest site at Shaheen Bagh

Earlier on Tuesday, an armed man had entered the protest site at Shaheen Bagh and threatened the anti-CAA agitators. A video clip of the alleged incident showed a gun-wielding man being overpowered by the protesters. According to police, the man was identified as Mohammad Luqmaan (50), a resident of Shaheen Bagh and was carrying a licensed pistol. He had gone to the protest site with a group of people to talk to the demonstrators regarding the reopening of the road blocked by them, they said.

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Protests against the CAA, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared since last December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said that the law is required to help persecuted minorities who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But protesters insist the law discriminates against the country’s Muslim minority and violates India’s Constitution.

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(With agency inputs)