Demonstrators against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Citizenship Register (NRC), were removed from Shaheen Bagh, Delhi. On Tuesday, the tents of the protesters were uprooted, amid heavy police force deployment, at Shaheen Bagh. With this, the Noida-Kalindi Kunj road has also been evacuated.
“The protest site was cleared at around 7 am,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said people, at the protest site in Shaheen Bagh, were requested to vacate the site as a lockdown had been imposed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
However, when they refused action was taken against a few and they were vacated, the official said. The Police took 6 women and 3 men into custody. Heavy police force had been deployed on the spot.
#WATCH Delhi Police clears the protest site in Shaheen Bagh area, amid complete lockdown in the national capital, in wake of #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/N6MGLTLs5Z
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2020
The police also removed materials put up by the protesters over the last 101 days – including artistic banners, a large standing map of India and a model India Gate, the Wire reported.
About 50 protesters including men were at the venue when it was vacated. “Most of the protesters vacated the site after police made an appeal but a few refused. So, police detained them,” a volunteer at the site, requesting anonymity, said, as reported by News18.
ANI quoted Delhi Police Commissioner, SN Shrivastava, as saying, “While we were clearing the protest sites in Jamia, Shaheen Bagh and other areas today, some people have been arrested and detained as we faced a little difficulty. However, I am happy to tell that there was no resistance shown by people.”
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Section 144 had been imposed in Delhi, and seven districts have been locked down. Earlier, on Sunday, during the ‘Janta curfew‘, only five women were at the site while others had left their slippers as a symbol of solidarity.
Other than Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi Police had also cleared protest sites near Hauz Rani, outside the Jamia Milia campus, and are using drones to monitor the situation. Police personnel has been deployed in Jafrabad too.
Delhi: The protest site in Hauz Rani has been cleared by police, amid complete lockdown in the national capital. Prohibitory order under Section 144 Cr PC is in place in Delhi, in the light of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/qm2tl4jwSQ
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2020
The locals of Shaheen Bagh apparently gave flowers to DCP Meena and other police officials for clearing the Shaheen Bagh protest site.