Seelampur normal; burial passes off peacefully, 32 arrested

New Delhi, Sep 21 (UNI) Uneasy calm prevailed today in Seelampur area of North-East Delhi, epicentre of yesterday's largescale violent protests against the state government's sealing drive, even as police arrested 32 people ''for rioting''.

While two companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) was deployed in Seelampur area to keep the situation under control, Delhi Police announced conducting of an enquiry by the Crime Branch into yesterday's firing by the police on the violent mob which resulted in the death of four persons.

Amidst tight security, burial of the four people, killed in yesterday's firing, passed off peacefully at Seemapuri graveyard though situation in the area remained tense but under control throughout the afternoon, police sources said.

Police said of the more than 60 persons detained yesterday, 32 have been arrested on minor charges adding ''Presently minor charges have been slapped on them and investigations are continuing to verify other facts.'' On its part, the Delhi government announced compensation for the families of the deceased in yesterday's violence.

While family members of the adults killed would get Rs two lakh, those of minors would get Rs one lakh. The injured would get Rs 50,000.

Since morning, situation in the area was fast returning to normal with shops open and traffic on roads back to normal.

The roads were cleared of debris from stone-pelting and rubble of cement road dividers. Besides this, burnt vehicles were removed and broken street lights replaced.

Meanwhile, a senior police official of the district said yesterday the situation worsened after a Bangladeshi fired at the police with a country-made pistol.

''After that the situation turned volatile and the crowd got emboldened and rushed menacingly towards the police forcing us to fire in self defence.'' We are trying to identify the culprit, he said adding that the presence of small arms in the area is due to easy access to Western Uttar Pradesh where these small weapons are readily available.

However, while confirming the toll in yesterday's firing to be four, Additional Commissioner Deependra Pathak said, ''Among the deceased are 16-year-old Mohammad Ashraf, a Class VII student, Qasim (16), Wasif (27), a rickshaw puller from Purulia in West Bengal and one more person who is yet to be identified.'' Yesterday, agitators fought pitched battles with the police at several places in the Capital, with the worst being reported in Seelampur, where police resorted to firing after lathicharge and tear gas shells failed to disperse the mob.

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