Hundreds of Jamia Millia Islamia students and residents of nearby Jamia Nagar on Monday refused to end their protest against the CAA and insisted on marching to Parliament, clambering over barricades before finally digging in their heels and sitting on 'dharna' outside the university.
The trouble, which erupted just 10 days after a student was injured when a man opened fire on a group of protesters in Jamia Nagar, began in the afternoon itself when police refused permission for the march and escalated as the day progressed.
Some of the protesters have been detained by the police, officials said.
Despite repeated appeals from the police and the varsity administration, the protesters refused to end their agitation that started following a call by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), an organisation of Jamia students and alumni.
The protesters, including several women, began their march from Jamia's gate no 7 around noon amid heavy deployment of security personnel in and around the university.
The scuffle intensified by 6.00 pm as the students refused to budge and a group of protesters gheraoed the Sukhdev Vihar police station. Some protesters jumped over barricades as police in riot gear tried to stop them.
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As the number of people joining the protest swelled by the evening, the Sukhdev Vihar Metro Station near the university was closed.
"Security Update Entry & exit gates of Sukhdev Vihar are closed," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted.
The protesters raised anti-police slogans and shouted "Kagaz Nahi Dikhayenge' (We will not show documents) and "Jab Nahi Dare Hum Goron Se Toh Kyun Dare Hum Auron Se" (When we did not fear the British, why should we fear others).
"We can keep sitting whole day and raise slogans. They say we do not have permission to march to Parliament. Do people who have flashed guns here and there at protests in the past weeks have permission?" Farzana, a Jamia student, said.
Another burqa-clad protester said, "It has been two months since we are protesting. No one from the government has come to talk to us, so we want to go to talk to them".
Men formed a human chain on either sides of roads as women walked ahead, waving the tricolour and raising slogans of "Halla Bol".
Jamia Millia Islamia proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan appealed to the students to disperse and not meddle with the police.
"The message has been sent. I request students in the crowd to go back to the university. Respect the law and peacefully go back," he urged the students.
The CAA allows easier citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015 to escape religious persecution there.
Those opposing the CAA contend that it discriminates on the basis of religion and violates the Constitution. They also allege that the CAA along with the NRC is intended to target the Muslim community in the country.
However, the central government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to the persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring countries and not to take away anyone's citizenship.