Farmers’ Chakka jam: Delhi Police tightens security at border points near protest sites

PTI, Feb 5, 2021, 5:50 PM IST

New Delhi: Security at the city’s border points near the three protest sites have been tightened by deploying extra forces and putting up multi-layered barricades, barbed wires and nails studded on the roads ahead of the proposed ‘chakka jam’ by farmers protesting the Centre’s three agri laws, police said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava also held a meeting with the senior officers of the force and reviewed the security arrangements.

The police will also be monitoring content on social media to keep a watch on those spreading rumours against the force, officials said.

Farmer unions on Monday had announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.

Elaborating about the security arrangements for the proposed ‘chakka jam’, Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said in view of the violence that took place on January 26, adequate security arrangements have been put in place by the Delhi Police at the borders so that miscreants are not able enter the national capital.

“We are monitoring content on the social media to make sure rumours are not spread against the police. The protestors are camping at the borders of Delhi. We are in touch with the police force of other states also,” he added.

A senior police officer said to prevent any kind of law and order situation and disruption of normal life during the ‘chakka jam’, adequate forces are being deployed across the outer-north district of Delhi Police.

“We have a very high security arrangement at Singhu at present but for Saturday, we are strengthening it at the border.

“We are deploying forces at all important points in the entire outer-north district of Delhi Police as a preventative measure to ensure that traffic and normal life is not affected, and also to ensure that there is no law and order situation or unauthorized ‘chakka jam’ being done by violating norms,” he said.

Another senior police officer from the east district of Delhi Police said as a precautionary measure, iron nails studded on the roads have also been repositioned behind the barricades at the Ghazipur border, another protest site.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Deepak Yadav said, “According to the protesting farmers, they will not enter the national capital, but still as a precautionary measure, we have made adequate security arrangements to maintain law and order. Adequate police presence will be in place at all important points and junctions across the district.

“There will additional deployment of pickets at all the border points. All vehicles will be checked thoroughly at the entry and exit points of pickets and borders. Additional buses have already been taken and extra barricades are being put up at the picket points across the city.”