The top brass of Delhi Police on Thursday will hold a high-level meeting at the police headquarters to plan fresh strategies, including security and traffic arrangements, at Central Park in Connaught Place after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke called on “patriots” to hoist the Tricolour at the spot on Friday, according to three senior police officers aware of the details.
The meeting to be chaired by Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar will be attended by special commissioners of police of both the law and order zones (I and II) and of other units, such as crime, special cell, intelligence and traffic, apart from other concerned officers, including joint commissioner of police (New Delhi Range) and deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi districts), the officers said, seeking anonymity.
“The meeting will focus on the scale of security arrangements that will be required for the CJP’s proposed Tiranga march and what all precautionary measures need to be put in place to ensure prohibitory orders under section 163 of BNSS – in force in the New Delhi area – are not violated. We also need to ensure no mass gathering is allowed anywhere in central Delhi, including Connaught Place and its Central Park,” one of the officers said.
A second officer said traffic restrictions and diversions to be put in place in and around Connaught Place and other parts of central Delhi will also be a key agenda of the meeting.
{{/usCountry}}A second officer said traffic restrictions and diversions to be put in place in and around Connaught Place and other parts of central Delhi will also be a key agenda of the meeting.
{{/usCountry}}“Unlike Jantar Mantar, which primarily has only three access points, Connaught Place has multiple entry and exit points and it can be accessed from all directions. Whether all access points will be blocked and barricaded will be a key agenda that will be discussed in the meeting. A decision on whether to shut down entry-exit gates of metro stations would also be taken,” the second officer said.
Dipke on Thursday called on "patriots" to gather on Friday at Central Park in the Capital’s business hub with the national flag, alleging that CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been "jailed only for unfurling the Tricolour". The call came on a day when Das and Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest area on Monday.
The CJP members, holding the Tricolour, had raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar before they were taken away by police personnel on Tuesday. The outfit, along with several other organisations and political parties, have been holding protests to seek Kumar’s resignation, over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
While officials in the intelligence branch are gathering inputs on the expected crowd and whether political parties, students’ groups and civil society activists would also be joining the CJP’s call, police have already intensified security in the New Delhi areas, especially around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi Police have already requested the Union home ministry to extend the deployment of the 273 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in Delhi till October 20, citing further escalation of protests by the CJP and various organisations towards Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission of India.
“We have already earmarked 200 companies of the CAPFs for handling protests-related law and order arrangements. Anti-riot vehicles are already in place in and around Jantar Mantar to handle sudden as well as announced protests,” the third officer said.
The three officers said officials from the intelligence unit are already tracking the locations and movements of key CJP members and other individuals who would be leading the Tiranga march on Friday.
Meanwhile, New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) president Atul Bhargava said owners and holders of business establishments, including shops, restaurants and offices, in Connaught Place have decided not to close their business on Friday.
“Our business is badly affected due to the protests. Our business has come down to 30-35%. Traders in CP are fed-up with these protests. We have decided to keep our establishments open on Friday, as keeping them closed is not an option, keeping in mind our own expenses, including rents and salaries of employees,” Bhargava said.