Police evict Shaheen Bagh protesters, clear protest sites

Protesters at Shaheen Bagh were evicted on Tuesday in view of the sweeping lockdown measures as well as prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 CrPC to contain

Protesters at Shaheen Bagh were evicted on Tuesday in view of the sweeping lockdown measures as well as prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 CrPC to contain the spread of Covid-19 epidemic. The protesters at the southeast Delhi locality had been protesting on an arterial road, connecting Delhi and Noida, since December 15.

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On Tuesday, the police evicted the protesters and cleared the site of tents, wooden beds and other material. Ten people, including six women, were detained after they refused to cooperate, police said.

RP Meena, the deputy commissioner of police (South East), said the protesters were appealed on Tuesday to clear the site as the government has banned the assembly of four or more people and rolled out lockdown measures to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. “We requested them to vacate the road. They continued to ignore the request. An FIR was registered under IPC and Section 3 of Epidemic Act, 1897 against four men and six women and they were arrested,” Meena said.

Another senior police officer said the protest was in progress despite several requests and guidelines issued by the Delhi government and the Delhi Police. To avoid any further spread of Covid-19, the protesters were removed from the site.

In order to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, hundreds of locals blocked the arterial road no. 13 A — that connects south Delhi with Noida — at Shaheen Bagh on December 15, 2019. In the three months that passed by, protesters refused to vacate the spot unless CAA is repealed. The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for people belonging to non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014. The law has been challenged in the Supreme Court for being exclusionary and based on religion, and has resulted in widespread protests across India.

The police also cleared the anti-CAA protest sites at Jamia Millia Islamia and Hauz Rani at Malviya Nagar. Installations, including a map of India made with a wire mesh, a replica of India Gate, and a makeshift library at the bus stop, which had become symbols of the protest at Shaheen Bagh were also removed.

Ritu Kaushik, one of the protesters at Shaheen Bagh, said the movement will continue on social media till the epidemic continues. “Despite the Shaheen Bagh roadblock case pending in Supreme Court, the police dismantled the protest area. They could have only asked protesters to leave, why did they dismantle the tents, stage, benches and installations, and take them to a police station?,” Kaushik said.

On Tuesday, protesters said there was a heavy mobilisation of police personnel in the early hours of Tuesday. “They blocked some of the lanes. Around 5.30-6 am, police came and forcibly evicted us. Since we were protesting in shifts, I was not present when the police came,” said Prakash Devi, another protester.

The graffiti on the walls and gates of Jamia Millia Islamia was also removed on Tuesday. While protesters blame police for the action, officials have denied any role in it. “It must be the job of civic authorities who could be painting the walls. We aren’t aware of any such work,” a senior police officer said, requesting anonymity.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s public relations officer, Radha Krishnan, however, said they were not involved in whitewashing the graffiti. “The big roads near Shaheen Bagh don’t come under us. It comes under the Public Works Department (PWD),” he said.

Officials of the PWD did not respond to calls for comment.