NEW DELHI: It’s a chakka jam by the farmers today – 12 noon to 3 pm – with many riders. The protesters have said it will happen only on national and state highways and nothing will take place inside Delhi; emergency and essential services are exempted; and it will be totally peaceful and non-violent.
Delhi Police, however, is not taking the promises at face value and gearing up for a law and order challenge in order to avoid a repeat of the violence on Republic Day. Over 50,000 personnel, drawn from Delhi Police, reserve police forces and paramilitary, will be deployed at various points, including the border. Several companies of ITBP, CRPF and RAF will be out for maintaining law and order. Special Cell’s SWAT teams and NSG have been kept on standby to be moved at a short notice in case of an emergency.
Bomb and dog squads have been stationed at multiple places in the capital as well. Extra vigil will be maintained at markets and places of religious and historic significance with focus on places like Red Fort, India Gate and the routes leading to Parliament. Kaccha roads which provide easy access to the city will be under watch as well. Thousands of CCTV cameras will be monitored from the central C4i control room and other sub-control rooms formed at the four borders and at other strategic places.
The police are officially maintaining that use of force will be minimal and resorted to only in extreme circumstances, but if violence breaks out, they will prevent escalation at all costs. Intelligence inputs suggest that anti-social elements may try to disrupt law and order and the police are taking this seriously.
The protest sites at the borders are already fortified with layers of barricades, concrete barriers, tyre slashers and nets to stop stone-pelting. The challenge for the police while dealing with rallies by farmers is that the gathering virtually turns leaderless. “Once on the ground, they make their own sub-groups with peers and start to operate on their own, leaving little scope for negotiations. So, they have to be handled as per the situation,” an official explained.
Extra barricading has been installed at critical points like Kalindi Kunj, Akshardham, Naraina and Narela due to which traffic jams were being reported on Friday. The cops fear that the sympathisers and supporters of the farmers may try to enforce the chakka jam within the city.
A traffic police official said that night QRTs deployed in all the traffic circles have been briefed in this regard and are ready for immediate deployment at the border points in case of any emerging situation. The Kalindi Kunj border (Delhi-Noida route) will remain closed for traffic movement and traffic restrictions will be enforced elsewhere.