Violent clashes erupted in the posh South Delhi locality of Friends Colony on Sunday late evening as the students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University started a march to Jantar Mantar to protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

According to reports, the protestors allegedly set fire to several vehicles including three buses, a few two-wheelers, and a fire tender that was on its way to control the fire. Two firefighters were injured when a few protestors allegedly threw stones on their vehicle. The two were taken to a hospital, say the reports.

However, the Students Union of the Jamia Millia Islamia University has averred that none of the students of the university was indulged in the violence or any clashes.

The main areas affected include the main Mathura Road, Sukhdev Vihar Metro Station, Okhla Underpass, Sarita Vihar, Kalindi Kunj Road, and the main campus of the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

It is believed that the local residents of the areas around the campus, namely Sarai Julema and Jamia Nagar area clashed with police.

As a result of the incident, Police have diverted traffic from the vicinity even as huge traffic snarls were witnessed in South Delhi’s Ashram, Maharani Bagh, Friends Colony, and Kalindi Kunj (connecting Noida to Delhi).

A Delhi Fire Service official told the news agency IANS that a call was made at 4.42 pm that buses were set ablaze. “We had sent four fire tenders which were also attacked by a violent mob,” the official said. “Our vehicle was damaged and two firemen were injured. They are in hospital.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that the entry and exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar, and Jasola Vihar, Shaheen Bagh have been closed and trains will not be halting at these stations.

Najma Akhtar, the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Milia Islamia University asserted that students were not involved in the clashes or burning of the vehicles. “It is done by some outsiders who want to disrupt the peace in the university and the locality around it,” she said, as reported by NDTV.

Meanwhile, Jamia Millia Islamia students have issued a statement disassociating themselves from the Sunday’s violence.