‘Understand the sufferings’: Delhi Police’s appeal to Shaheen Bagh protesters

Despite a section of organisers pulling out on January 2, the protests at Shaheen Bagh have continued.

Underlining the “larger public interest”, the Delhi Police on Friday urged the anti- citizenship law protesters at Shaheen Bagh to cooperate and help clear Road 13A, a 2.5km-long connection between Delhi and Noida, which has been closed since December 1.

Women protesters who are on an indefinite sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) seen at Shaheen Bagh, in New Delhi, on January 12, 2020. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

“We appeal to agitators at Road No 13 A Shaheen Bagh to understand the sufferings that the complete highway blockade is causing to residents of Delhi & NCR, Senior Citizens, emergency patients & school going children. The matter has also come up before the Hon’ble High Court,” tweeted the Delhi Police.

The closure of this particular road by the protesters has thrown traffic around south and central Delhi out of gear. What has further aggravated the traffic snarls is that parts of the Mathura Road, near the Ashram intersection, has been cordoned off for the construction of an underpass by the Public Works Department.

Traffic police estimates show that the Ashram intersection, the worst hit by the closure of Road 13A, used to get nearly 3.5 lakh vehicles during peak morning and evening rush hours. However, over the last month, it has been taking an additional load of one lakh vehicles a day.

Despite a section of organisers pulling out on January 2, the protests at Shaheen Bagh have continued. From a replica of India Gate with names of those who died during anti-CAA protests, to a model detention centre to raise awareness, to graffiti and posters, the protesters have used unique methods to express their dissent.