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Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest cleared amid COVID-19 lockdown in Delhi

Section 144 is in place in Delhi after the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a lockdown as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest cleared amid COVID-19 lockdown in Delhi

Protests against the CAA have been going on since December 15 last year at Shaheen Bagh. (Image: Twitter/@Shaheenbaghoff1)

With Delhi announcing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus curbs, the police cleared the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest on Tuesday morning. The protest, which was led by women was against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had been on for more than 100 days.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said people at the protest venue in Shaheen Bagh were requested to vacate the site as lockdown has been imposed due to coronavirus outbreak. However, when they refused action was taken and they were vacated, the official said, reported news agency PTI.

Section 144 is in place in Delhi after the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a lockdown as a precautionary measure against coronavirus. Before this, a protest outside Jamia had been called off last week.The contagious nature of virus which has not found its cure yet has put many people around the world under lockdown.

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The Delhi Police had held a meeting with a few Shaheen Bagh protesters and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) members of Shaheen Bagh and Abul Fazal Enclave in a bid to convince the group to end the protests.

Earlier last week, Shaheen Bagh volunteers said it was decided that the protesters will comply with the CM’s order of limiting the gathering to 50. They had also said that old ladies and children would no longer be allowed at the site and each protester would sit at least one metre away from the other protesters. Face masks and sanitisers were also made available.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said people at the protest venue in Shaheen Bagh were requested to vacate the site as lockdown has been imposed due to coronavirus outbreak. On Sunday, petrol bombs were hurled by unidentified persons at the Shaheen Bagh protest site. While protesters at Shaheen Bagh blamed ‘outsiders’ for the incident, police sources said they are probing the possibility of an internal feud between protesters over calling off the protest that eventually escalated.

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