NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has said it has initiated a dialogue with those holding a sit-in at Shaheen Bagh to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The move followed a Delhi High Court directive on a petition on Tuesday about inconvenience caused to commuters due to traffic restrictions on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh road.
“Police will follow the policy of persuasion than force to clear the busy arterial road. Policemen are talking to trader’s body, religious leaders and community elders to end the blockade,” a government official said on Tuesday. Closure of the road has snapped south Delhi’s direct link with Noida. The HC directed the city police to keep larger public interest in mind and look into traffic restrictions enforced on the stretch, a month ago, following protests against CAA. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar, however, said the court cannot issue directions on how to handle an agitation or place of protest or traffic. Such things depended on ground reality and the wisdom of police.HC asked the police to look into the issue of traffic restrictions while maintaining law and order.
The high court directive came while disposing a PIL that advocate Amit Sahni had filed seeking a direction to the Delhi Police Commissioner to lift restrictions on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch and Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15, 2019, following the protests against CAA. The Kalindi Kunj road connects Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana) and Noida (UP) and commuters are forced to take the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway and Ashram, which is causing hours of traffic jams and wastage of time and fuel, the PIL said.
“We hereby direct the concerned respondent authorities (police) to look into grievances ventilated by the petitioner in this writ petition…”
In another development, the police examined eight accused, including Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Aishe Ghosh, for alleged involvement in the violence at JNU.
Source: Economic Times
