Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad surrendered before the Delhi Police and was taken into custody from outside Delhi's Jama Masjid in the wee hours of Saturday. On Friday, Azad held protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act despite no permission and gave cops the slip in the mosque. “He surrendered before the police at Gate No. 1 and is being taken to the Crime Branch’s office have for further investigation,” a police officer told The Indian Express. Follow CAA protests LIVE updates here Azad was under the radar of the cops even prior to the massive protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, that erupted at the mosque immediately after Friday prayers. Around 2.30 am Saturday, the Bhim Army leader stepped out of the mosque and stood on the steps of the Jama Masjid surrounded by hundreds of protesters and addressed the gathering on a microphone. He said, “…the fight to save the country cannot be fought from home.” At 3.18 am, he tweeted: “All those detained should be freed and then I’ll surrender. Friends, continue fighting and stay united for the Constitution, Jai Bhim and Jai Constitution.” Also read | FIR against Chandrashekhar Azad for ‘instigating’ crowd during Darya Ganj arson Several teams of Delhi Police had been trailing Azad before he appeared in front of the mosque on Friday afternoon. Policemen soon detained him, but amid resistance from the crowd, he managed to give them the slip. In a dramatic chase, he ran from house to house and jumped across rooftops with police on his heels before disappearing from sight. Also read | Who will take responsibility for the current deaths: Chandrashekhar Azad Prior to the drama, on Thursday, police from the southern range and crime branch had been trying to approach Azad after he called for a protest march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar. But he “avoided the calls”, after which they approached his advocate, who said Azad would turn up at Jama Masjid.
