New Delhi: Amidst incidents of heightened tension between the police and the protesters hitting the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act, in the Gujarat capital of Ahmedabad, a group of Muslim youth were seen stepping out of a protest to come to the rescue of policemen facing the ire of a violent mob.

As in various parts of the country, areas of Ahmedabad also witnessed protests against the Act on December 19. They were mainly in response to a ‘Gujarat bandh’ call given by a group of organisations.

A large crowd congregated at the city’s Shah-E-Alam area as well. A confrontation with the police and the protesters reportedly took place, and at least 30 people were detained.

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However, soon policemen were outnumbered by protesters. A violent mob blocked a police vehicle, began chasing policemen and pelted stones at them. In the hullabaloo, four personnel were caught in a corner and were particularly targeted by some youth. Chunks of brick were hurled at them.

What was heartening was that one Muslim youth from among the protesters stepped out to stand between the police and the mob. Soon, six others joined him.

A video of the group of youth forming a human shield around the cops, with one of them wearing a mask, holding up an egg crater with one hand and the national flag on the other, has gone viral. A Times of India report from Ahmedabad said the youth later helped the cops escape the scene.

“Boys in our area ran and threw themselves in front of an angry mob to to protect policemen. In the end, humanity prevailed,” civic corporator of the area, Badruddin Sheikh told the newspaper.

The report said many locals helped other policemen and police men to reach safety too.