Heavy security deployment continued across central Delhi on Saturday, with barricades at Jantar Mantar and additional personnel outside the Delhi Police and Election Commission of India headquarters amid the possibility of fresh protests by left-wing organisations, a day after nearly 2,000 people gathered in and around Connaught Place for the “Lehra Do Tiranga” protest. No major protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) or the Congress party have been announced so far in the city.
Barricades remain in place at Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as a designated protest site, and security personnel are manning all three entry and exit points, near the Ashoka Road roundabout and along Tolstoy Marg and Sansad Marg.
Additional barricades have been put up on Ashoka Road and Jai Singh Road to prevent crowding, as gatherings are prohibited across the New Delhi area under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), an officer aware of the matter said.
Security has also been stepped up outside the Delhi Police headquarters and the Election Commission of India headquarters following information that some left-wing organisations may hold a women’s march outside the police headquarters, alleging sexual violence by police during the protests.
“Through our intelligence branch officials, we have learnt that some left groups have planned a march outside the police headquarters later in the morning. Since no permission has been given to anyone to hold protests in the New Delhi area, no gathering will be allowed anywhere in central Delhi. Our security arrangements are in place to handle any flash protest,” the officer added.
A senior police officer said that more than 200 companies of central armed paramilitary forces (CAPFs), comprising nearly 20,000 men and women, are available with the Delhi Police to handle protests across Delhi. The largest deployments of the CAPFs have been made in central Delhi, particularly in and around Jantar Mantar, Sansad Marg, the Election Commission headquarters and Connaught Place, as well as outside the residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and other key ministers. Nearly 10,000 Delhi Police personnel have also been kept in reserve to deal with demonstrations and marches in the city, the officers said.
On Friday evening, nearly 2,000 people gathered in and around Connaught Place for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) “Lehra Do Tiranga” protest, scheduled to be held at Central Park at 5 pm. As police permission was not granted for the protest, Delhi Police and CAPF personnel were deployed in large numbers in Connaught Place and its adjoining areas from Thursday. By Friday noon, hundreds of personnel had taken over Central Park and closed all its access gates to ensure nobody entered the park.
Outside the park, nearly 200 personnel, particularly from the CAPFs, formed a human chain around it as protesters in small groups began marching around Connaught Place’s inner circle after 5 pm. Senior police officers also conducted flag marches along the pavements and restricted movement near the site, including that of journalists. By 7.30 pm, police dispersed protesters from the Connaught Place area. Nearly 150 people were detained from the area, Mandi House and Janpath by 9 pm and were later released.
“Police deployment is still in place in Connaught Place to avoid any protest and maintain law and order as markets are open today,” another police officer said.