Death toll in Delhi violence mounts to 53

The northeast part of Delhi witnessed indiscriminate violence over the new citizenship.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) official and a police officer were among the dead and over 300 injured in the violence which initially had started between the protesters and supporters of the CAA but later took a communal spin.

Starting Feb 23, mobs armed with iron rods, sticks and guns defied police orders and created rampage through the streets of Delhi leading to arson and communal tension.

The violence went on for 48 hours between Feb 24 and 25.

The police have registered 654 cases related to the violence and 1,820 people have been either arrested or detained.

Meanwhile, expelled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Md. Tahir Hussain was on Thursday arrested in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the deadly Delhi violence, media reports said.

Hussain on Tuesday moved a court seeking anticipatory bail but it was deferred to Thursday.

Hussain, a councilor from Ward no. 59 (Nehru Vihar) of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), has been blamed for inciting his community's people during the communal violence over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest and leading an attack from his house's rooftop.

The AAP also suspended his permanent membership unless his charges are cleared off.

Earlier in the day, seven Congress MPs were suspended for the rest of the Budget session due to their unruly behaviour over the demand to discuss the deadly Delhi violence in Parliament.

Oppositions including Congress's Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee have slammed the centre over the violence.

Gandhi, who visited the violence-hit areas on Wednesday, said India's global image has taken a hit.