EC, police officials inspect Shaheen Bagh, encourage protesters to vote

Senior officials of the Election Commission and the Delhi Police on Wednesday inspected the Shaheen Bagh area, the site of anti-CAA protests for over 50 days, and encouraged protesters to vote in the assembly polls due on February 8, officials said.

The Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the Shaheen Bagh area under the "critical" category.

"Special expenditure observer and special observer police, along with senior police officials, inspected the area for over an hour. We spoke to some of the protesters and they said they would participate in the elections," Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava said.

The protesters said they will help the authorities in conducting peaceful polls in the national capital, police said.

Shaheen Bagh, Khureji Khas and Hauz Rani are some of the sites in the city where protesters are opposing the amended citizenship law.

Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Praveer Ranjan said a briefing led by Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava was held on Wednesday morning to assess the situation in Shaheen Bagh ahead of the poll on February 8.

"Recently, I had visited the area along with the Delhi CEO, and we had taken stock of the situation. There may have been some firing incidents in the last few days, but anti-CAA protests are happening in many other parts of Delhi, but no untoward incidents have been reported from those areas," he told reporters.

"During our visit to Shaheen Bagh on Friday, we had tried to feel the pulse of people and I don't see any reason for concern. We are hopeful people will step out and vote on the polling day without any fear," said Ranjan, also a nodal officer of the Delhi Police for the assembly elections.

In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the area under the "critical" category, its top official said on Wednesday, while asserting that confidence-building measures are being undertaken to reassure voters.

Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh also said that no complaint has been received from local people of Shaheen Bagh about any safety issue they feel would be on the polling day.

Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11.