Delhi Police are revisiting details of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) previous protest and tracking people with alleged criminal antecedents, as well as logistics suppliers involved in the earlier agitation, ahead of the outfit's proposed October 10 demonstration, officials said on Wednesday.
Police have directed station house officers (SHOs) across the city to monitor around 2,800 people identified through the facial recognition system (FRS) as having alleged criminal antecedents and check whether any of them are heading towards New Delhi district.
Officials have also been asked to identify and monitor those who arranged logistics for the CJP's previous protest, including bus operators and other suppliers, and check whether they have been contacted again for the October 10 agitation.
Police have not granted permission for the proposed protest so far.
"SHOs have been asked to identify and keep track of such people in their respective areas, particularly those who may have a history of serious offences. The idea is to know who is moving towards the protest site and from where," an officer said.
Local police have also been asked to monitor bus operators and bookings to establish who is hiring buses, how many people are being transported and their destinations. Organised movement of groups towards Delhi and New Delhi district is being closely watched.
Police have further been directed to engage with university and college authorities and urge them to prevent students from participating in the protest. Owners of paying guest accommodations in major student hubs have also been asked to discourage students from joining the demonstration.
Possible entry routes into Delhi are under heightened surveillance, particularly the eastern and Shahdara borders with Uttar Pradesh and routes in southwest Delhi from Rajasthan. Barricades will be placed at key entry points, officials said.
Police have also been instructed to prevent protesters from staging sit-ins at locations in New Delhi district if they are stopped from reaching the proposed venue.
"The leaders are putting on social media that if protesters are stopped anywhere, they should sit where they are stopped. We have to ensure that doesn't happen," another officer said.
The October 10 protest follows the CJP-led agitation in July over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, when thousands of demonstrators attempted to march towards Parliament and sought the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Police said at least 2,873 people who attended or were present near the July protest at Jantar Mantar were identified as having alleged criminal antecedents. Nearly 989 of them were allegedly linked to heinous offences.
According to police, 101 of those identified had been booked in murder cases, including 42 allegedly involved in two or more murder cases and 12 who had been booked in 10 or more murder cases.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das informed police on Wednesday about the proposed October 10 protest.
Delhi Police have requisitioned at least 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces since October 1, with personnel deployed around Jantar Mantar. Several stretches in the area have been restricted and nearly 4,000 security personnel deployed across New Delhi district, officials said.
Police have also discussed setting up temporary detention facilities at stadiums across the city in case large numbers of protesters arrive, refuse to disperse and insist on courting arrest.
Security arrangements have been intensified around Jantar Mantar and other parts of central Delhi ahead of the proposed demonstration.
(With inputs from PTI)