Delhi Police tighten security with extra barricades for weekend protests

Police have installed multiple layers of chained and welded barricades and stepped up surveillance across Delhi, anticipating a larger turnout at the CJP-led protest demanding examination reforms

Security arrangements have been intensified further across the national capital ahead of the weekend, with Delhi Police installing additional layers of barricades at key locations and reinforcing them with heavy-duty chains to prevent attempts to breach security cordons, officials said on Saturday.

The move follows the raging protest in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding reforms in the examination system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the Neet paper leak, with police expecting a larger turnout of protesters through the weekend.

According to police sources, multiple rows of iron barricades have been placed on the sensitive stretches in the New Delhi district, particularly in and around the Jantar Mantar protest site and other strategic locations.

"Extra layers of barricading have been put in place at the vulnerable points, which have been chained together and welded so that they cannot be dismantled or shifted easily. Additional force will also be deployed to maintain law and order," a police officer said.

Apart from physical barricading, surveillance and security measures have also been enhanced across the city.

Police have intensified vigil, with heavy deployment planned in the New Delhi, Central and North Delhi districts, where large gatherings or attempts to march towards restricted areas are anticipated, the sources said.

Senior officers have directed all district police units to remain on high alert and ensure adequate deployment at vulnerable locations. They have also been asked to keep updated lists of bad characters, history-sheeters and people with criminal backgrounds who could potentially exploit the protest and trigger law and order problems, they said.

Facial recognition systems installed around the protest venue have already identified more than 2,500 people with criminal backgrounds entering the area over the past few days, a police source claimed.

The system is being used to alert field units whenever such individuals are detected so that they can be discreetly monitored and, where required, subjected to verification.

Police said anti-sabotage checks, intensified vehicle inspections and enhanced patrolling are also being carried out at the sensitive locations as part of the security plan.

The authorities have maintained that the elaborate arrangements are aimed at ensuring peaceful protests while preventing any untoward incident or breach of security during the expected rush over the weekend.