Delhi Police has asked the Delhi Government to direct liquor vendors to keep their shops closed on October 9 and 10, citing possible law-and-order concerns linked to a planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 10.
The request was made in a letter to the Delhi Government, asking the Excise department to instruct liquor outlets to shut for Friday and Saturday. The proposed closure has been linked to the Cockroach Janta Party and the All India Students’ Association protest, which is demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Several opposition political parties are also expected to join the demonstration. However, Delhi Police has not granted permission for the gathering at Jantar Mantar. The police has cited the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, under which gatherings are prohibited in the affected area.
The police has made security arrangements across central Delhi, including multi-layered barricades on roads leading towards Jantar Mantar and Parliament. These measures are intended to prevent protesters from entering New Delhi or reaching the protest site, according to the report.
The Delhi Police intelligence unit has anticipated that more than 50,000 people could gather from Delhi and neighbouring states. The expected turnout has prompted additional arrangements around key government buildings and major routes in the capital.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces available to Delhi Police for law-and-order duties from October 8 to 12. The deployment amounts to around 23,000 personnel, making it one of the largest deployments of central forces for protest-related duties in the Capital, according to officers cited in the report.
Companies of the Central Reserve Police Force are being brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. The additional personnel will support Delhi Police in managing the anticipated protests, securing key government buildings and maintaining law and order in central Delhi.
The liquor-vend closure remains a request from Delhi Police to the Delhi Government through the Excise department. The police’s stated concern is the potential impact of the protest on law and order, while the planned security operation will continue through October 12.
