Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Madhur Verma on Friday urged personnel to exercise restraint and use minimum force as the national capital stepped up security ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest on October 10.
“Prepare for the storm. Practise restraint. Protect the peace. Because the true strength of the police is not merely in controlling a crowd, but in doing so with discipline, dignity and minimum force,” Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), said in a post on X.
The Centre has made around 23,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel available to Delhi Police for deployment between October 8 and 12, taking the total number of central force personnel in the capital to over 25,000, officials said.
The protest is part of escalating demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the proposed gathering at Jantar Mantar, citing alleged violations of rules during an earlier demonstration. A senior officer said the application was submitted on October 7, just three days before the protest, against the requirement of filing requests at least 10 days in advance.
As part of precautionary measures, the Delhi government has ordered liquor shops to remain closed on October 9 and 10, citing the prevailing situation and the need to maintain public order. The Excise Department said the decision was based on police inputs.
Police have also proposed closing entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations and reducing train frequency, citing the possibility of “unruly crowd movement towards sensitive locations”. In a letter dated October 8, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Transport Range) asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to implement the measures.
Security arrangements include multi-layered barricades, CCTV surveillance from control rooms and the deployment of face recognition system cameras, officials said.
Police have also intensified checks at the capital’s borders, including Ghazipur, Chilla, Tikri, Singhu, Gurugram, Kapashera, Loni and Badarpur, to monitor the movement of people into Delhi.
(With inputs from PTI)