The Delhi Police may implement some tough measures in the coming days to vacate Road No.13A where the Shaheen Bagh protest has been staged for over a month now.
Road 13A connects Delhi to Noida via Kalindi Kunj. The Delhi Police has appealed protesters to vacate the road in the past and did so again on Friday. They said Noida commuters are being heavily inconvenienced due to the blockade.
'We appeal to agitators at Road No. 13A Shaheen Bagh to understand the sufferings that the complete highway blockade is causing to residents of Delhi & NCR, senior citizens, emergency patients and school going children,' the Delhi Police tweeted on Friday evening. 'We again urge protesters to cooperate & clear the road in larger public interest,' it said.
Interestingly, a large section of the road from Jasola to Okhla Bird Sanctuary has been blocked by the Delhi Police itself. The 2.5 km stretch has been closed for traffic with barricades on either side since 15 December 2019, when the police attacked Jamia Millia Islamia. In contrast, the Shaheen Bagh protest is spread out over a stretch of about 150 meters at the very beginning of the blockade.
The police request to vacate the protest site came after a High Court order which asked it to look into the matter.
On the other hand, Delhi Lt. Governer Anil Baijal passed an order on 10 January, empowering the Delhi Police to detain people under the National Security Act (NSA) for three months, beginning 19 January.
This allows the Delhi Police to detain people for up to a year without having to reveal grounds of detention. But they are required to provide a reason within five days of detention, following which the detainee can seek legal representation. This does not augur well for protesters, as the Delhi police is likely to resort to force in the coming days.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly election is scheduled for 8 February, and the Parliament’s Budget Session is set to begin on 31 January. Hence the Delhi Police is expected to act on ground in this regard.
