Sealing drive: AAP to continue protests

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said its councillors and activists would continue to stage protests against the ongoing sealing drive.

Party leader Gopal Rai told journalists: "We held a 'parliament march' against the drive today (Monday). The police lathi-charged many of our workers including women without any provocation... dozens were injured... many were detained."

"The BJP is trying to suppress the voice of our movement against the sealing drive but we won't give up and take this forward... we will stage protests at the civic Centre tomorrow onwards."

The police, however, denied taking such action against the protesters and dubbed the allegation as "incorrect, wrong and concocted".

"They assembled near Patel Chowk Metro station without obtaining permission. Even when the police stopped them from going towards the Parliament which was in session... they disobeyed the order and started marching towards it," said DCP New Delhi B.K. Singh.

"When police tried to reason with them, some of them became violent... legal action is being taken against violators of law," he added.

The sealing drive is on against business establishments which are using residential properties for commercial purposes without paying conversion charges.

Rai also said the Bharatiya Janata Party was misleading the people on the 391 roads that are to be notified under the commercial or mixed-use categories so businesses on them can be saved from the drive.

"Sealing drive is not being carried out on these roads."

He said the files on these roads sent by Delhi Municipal Corporation to AAP-led Delhi Government had some loopholes. "We will complete the documents and send them to the Supreme Court for approval," he said.

--IANS

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