NEW DELHI: It’s a chakka jam by farmers today – from 12 noon to 3 in the afternoon – with many passengers. The protesters have said that it will happen only on national and state roads and nothing will happen inside Delhi; emergency and essential services are exempt; and it will be totally peaceful and non-violent.
The Delhi police, however, are not taking the promises at face value and are not preparing for a challenge to law and order to prevent a repeat of the violence on Republic Day. More than 50,000 troops, drawn from the Delhi police, reserve police forces and paramilitaries, will be deployed at various points, including the border. Various ITBP, CRPF and RAF companies will endeavor to maintain law and order. Special Cell SWAT and NSG teams have been kept on standby to be transferred on short notice in the event of an emergency.
Bomb squads and dogs have also been stationed at various locations in the capital. An additional vigil will be kept at markets and places of religious and historical importance, with particular attention to places such as the Red Fort, the Gateway of India and the routes leading to Parliament. The Kaccha roads providing easy access to the city will also be monitored. Thousands of CCTV cameras will be monitored from the C4i central control room and other sub-control rooms formed at the four borders and in other strategic locations.
The police officially maintain that the use of force will be minimal and will be used only in extreme circumstances, but if violence does break out, they will avoid escalation at all costs. Intelligence data suggests that antisocial elements may attempt to disrupt law and order, and the police are taking this seriously.
Border protest sites are already fortified with layers of barricades, concrete barriers, tire cutters and nets to stop the stoning. The challenge for the police in dealing with the farmers’ demonstrations is that the gathering practically becomes leaderless. “Once on the ground, they form their own subgroups with their peers and begin to operate on their own, leaving little room for negotiations. Therefore, they have to be managed according to the situation,” explained an official.
Additional barricades have been installed at hotspots such as Kalindi Kunj, Akshardham, Naraina and Narela due to which traffic jams were reported on Friday. Police fear that sympathizers and supporters of the farmers will try to enforce the chakka jam within the city.
A traffic police official said that night QRTs deployed in all traffic circles have been briefed on this and are ready for immediate deployment at border points in case of any emergent situation. The Kalindi Kunj border (Delhi-Noida route) will be closed to traffic movement and traffic restrictions will apply elsewhere.
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