Four people have been arrested for Sunday's communal clashes in Delhi's Chandni Chowk
Home Minister Amit Shah today summoned Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and reportedly discussed the communal clashes in the city's old quarters on Sunday. The Hauz Qazi area remains tense after violence on Sunday that began with a dispute over parking and led to the vandalism of a temple.
"It was a general briefing about the Hauz Qazi incident and how the situation is. The situation is well under control now," Mr Patnaik told reporters after the meeting.
He said four persons had been arrested and action would be taken against all involved. "We have the CCTV footage. These are a group of criminals... we are analysing the footage and all those involved will face action," he said.
A minor is among those arrested over the violence. Over 1,000 security personnel - police and Central Reserve Police Force - have been posted in the area amid lingering tension. Shops have been shut and the residents have held a peace march.
On Sunday, a fruit seller, Sanjeev Gupta, had an argument with Aas Mohammad, who had parked his car outside his home. As the argument escalated, Aas Mohammad allegedly brought people with him and attacked the house of Sanjeev Gupta, who called the police.
As Aas Mohammad was called for questioning, a group demanded his release outside the police station. The group later attacked a temple in the neigbourhood and vandalised statues.
On Tuesday, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan visited the area and said, "It is very unfortunate and painful. The kind of things done to the temple is unforgivable."
BJP lawmaker Gautam Gambhir, in a tweet on Tuesday, called for "strict punishment" for the attackers. "Those who attack our place of faith and think they can divide us are wrong. We will not let the religious unity which is deep-rooted in Indian culture be affected by these acts. The attackers should get strict punishment and I appeal to the people of Delhi to maintain peace."
Hitting out at the government, Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi today tweeted, "Day 2 of the temple incident and no action yet by Home Minister, Delhi Police under the BJP rules Centre. We know the ruling party doesn't care about minorities but does it also not care for the sentiments of majority?"