After clashes between the Uttar Pradesh Police and anti-Citizenship Act protestors in Uparkot area of Aligarh on Sunday evening, the district magistrate has claimed that the women students of Aligarh Muslim University instigated the protestors. Chandra Bhushan Singh said their roles will be investigated.

“Some women students from Aligarh Muslim University are behind this, we are trying to identify them,” he said, according to India Today. “We are ascertaining the damage caused by rioters and it will be recovered from them. The situation is under control now,” he said. Heavy contingent of police is patrolling the area while internet services were suspended in the district for 24 hours since Sunday 6 pm.

At least six people were injured in the clashes. Stones were pelted, public and government vehicles were damaged and a shop was partly burnt in the violence. The police used teargas to disperse the crowd.

District Magistrate Singh claimed there had been no firing from the police side. “It took us around 10-15 minutes to bring the situation under control,” he added.

Station House Officer, Uparkot Police Station, Ravindra Kumar Singh said some women started pelting stones at a police vehicle, reported The Indian Express. When stopped, they allegedly damaged vehicles parked on the road as well as attacked shops. Singh said another group of protesters attacked vehicles in the nearby Babri Mandi area. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Aligarh Range) Preetinder Singh told PTI that some people were detained after the violence.

Among the injured were two policemen. A hospital spokesperson said Mohammad Ibrahim, 25, had pellet injury in his left eye. The spokesperson added that while doctors had operated on him, he could lose his vision in that eye. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man was shot at and injured amid the clashes. Tariq was admitted at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital at Aligarh Muslim University. Doctors at the hospital said Tariq had a firearm injury on the left side of his chest, reported The Telegraph. Tariq’s father and brother told the police that he suffered a bullet injury by a “miscreant” who opened fire amid the violence.

A group of women along with children have been staging a protest against the controversial citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens outside Shahjamal Eidgah in Aligarh since last month. In the first week of February, the Aligarh Police had issued notices to 153 of them to sign a bond promising to maintain peace.

On Thursday, there was rainfall in Aligarh. Following this, the protestors had sought permission to set up a tent. After their request was rejected, a section began a protest outside the Uparkot Police Station.

The clashes in the old city area broke out after a Bhim Army-led march headed towards the district collectorate was stopped midway by the police and RAF personnel. Shops in some areas near Kotwali were shut.