A group of people staged a demonstration near the protest site at Shaheen Bagh here on Sunday, demanding removal of barricades erected on the road connecting Noida to Kalindi Kunj.
They demanded that those sitting on a dharna there for over a month in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act should clear the stretch as commuters are facing difficulties, the police said.
Senior officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava and Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Chinmoy Biswal, rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control and prevent any untoward incident. The officers are trying to negotiate with the protesters and asking them to maintain peace. At least 52 people were detained and released after a few hours, the police said.
The protesters, including women, raised slogans like “Jai Shree Ram”, “Vande Mataram” and “Khaali Karao Shaheen Bagh wallo ko”.
“We want the roads to be cleared. They [anti-CAA protesters] have been sitting here protesting for 50 days now. It has been causing inconvenience to us. Our children have not been able to go to school because the roads are blocked,” said Rekha Devi of Jasola.
Identity cards
“With heavy barricading, the police have not been allowing us to enter the protest site where women have been sitting for over a month now. I somehow managed to go to work crossing the area. But since yesterday, there has been strict checking and we were not allowed to pass through the stretch without showing our identity cards,” Deepak Patel, a resident of Jasola said.
On Saturday, a 25-year-old man fired two rounds in the air at Shaheen Bagh and was later taken into custody. However, no one was injured in the incident.
“We are not allowing any person to enter the protest site without being frisked. Volunteers are also assisting us in the process,” said a police officer.
