NewDelhi: Delhi Police have tightened security fearing law and order problem in the national capital, a day after it denied permission to a public meeting that was scheduled to be addressed by newly-elected Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani here on Tuesday.
The cancellation of the ‘Yuva Hunkar Rally’ has triggered massive protests in the national capital.
Commenting on the situation, Ajay Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner, Delhi Police, said permission for the rally was denied in the wake of orders from the NGT that no protest can be staged at Jantar Mantar.
”Nobody has been given a permission. Since there is an NGT order that no protest can be staged at Jantar Mantar, we have asked organisers to hold the protest at alternate sites like Ramlila Maidan,” the senior cop said.
According to media, the supporters of the Gujarat Dalit leader have assembled in large numbers and are protesting in the Parliament Street.
In the posters, Mevani has been described as an absconder ‘bhagoda’ and accused of making provocative speeches aimed at dividing the society on the caste lines.
The Gujarat Dalit leader has also been accused of having links with the Naxalites.
This comes a day after Delhi Police denied the permission for the rally under Section 144 and claimed that the decision was taken to maintain law and order in the national capital ahead of the Republic Day.
Jignesh was likely to raise issues like land, dignity and education in his public meet today.
Earlier on January 4, the Mumbai Police had denied permission to a summit that was to be addressed by Mevani and JNU student Umar Khalid.
Several students were detained who had gathered outside a hall for the event and protested against the police for not giving permission for the programme.
The authorities also detained the organisers of the event – Sachin Bansode, president of Chhatra Bharati, his deputy Sagar Bhalerao and an MLC Kapil.
The Pune Police had earlier said that they had received a complaint against Mevani and Khalid for their ‘provocative’ speeches at an event in Pune on December 31.
Mevani and Khalid had attended the ‘Elgar Parishad’, an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon, at Shaniwar Wada in Pune.
Violence erupted in Pune district when Dalit groups were celebrating the bicentenary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in which the forces of the British East India Company defeated the Peshwa’s Army.
Several towns and cities in Maharashtra were on edge on Tuesday as Dalit protests against Monday’s deadly violence in Pune spilled over to capital Mumbai, with agitators damaging scores of buses, and disrupting road and rail traffic.
Over 160 buses were damaged in Mumbai by rampaging protesters, of which 100 were detained.
Bureau Report
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