Delhi Police deploy large force in Shaheen Bagh as precautionary measure

The deployment came in the wake of a call by a right-wing group, Hindu Sena to clear the Shaheen Bagh road on March 1.

The Delhi Police deployed a large number of its personnel as a precautionary measure on Sunday in southeast Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area where several women have been leading a protest on the road against the new citizenship law for more than two months, officials said.

A security personnel at Shaheen Bagh, in New Delhi. (ANI)

The deployment came in the wake of a call by a right-wing group, Hindu Sena to clear the Shaheen Bagh road on March 1. The Hindu Sena called off its proposed protest against the anti-CAA agitation in Shaheen Bagh after police intervened on Saturday.

“As a precautionary measure, there is heavy police deployment here; Our aim is to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident from occurring,” ANI quoted Joint Commissioner D C Srivastava as saying at Shaheen Bagh.

The Delhi Police had come under fire for failing to act promptly to stop the riots in Northeast Delhi less than a week ago. The riots have so far claimed 42 lives and left hundreds others injured. On Sunday, they were not taking any chances with security.

Protesters say the CAA is unconstitutional and discriminatory because it makes religion a test of citizenship and in conjunction with the NRC can potentially strip Muslims of citizenship.

Advocate Amit Sahni and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nand Kishore Garg, have filed a petitionin the Supreme Court seeking to lift the road blockade in the Shaheen Bagh-Kalindi Kunj stretch.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court put off taking a call on the blockade in Shaheen Bagh till March 23.