In the midst of an outcry over the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Delhi Police along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) conducted a flag march in the national capital's Seelampur area on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported.
Following the Centre's implementation of the CAA, Delhi Police identified 43 hotspots and increased patrols in certain locations. These include Seelampur, Jaffrabad, Mustafabad, Bhajanpura, Khajoori Khas, and Seemapuri, according to an official release.
Joy Tirkey, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast Delhi), told the reporters that police and paramilitary men are on high alert to preserve peace and order. Speaking with PTI, he stated: "We have identified 43 hotspots in northeast Delhi and night patrolling was comparatively high at these locations. The safety of every person in Delhi's northeast district is our responsibility."
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Cyber Unit is monitoring social media platforms to avoid aggressive remarks and rumors. Another official stated that Delhi Police had held at least 29 meetings with peace committee members to ensure that people do not "fall for rumours." He stated that patrols will be boosted in numerous areas of northeast Delhi with the arrival of extra paramilitary soldiers on Tuesday.
With the implementation of the CAA rules, which came only days before the announcemnt of the Lok Sabha elections schedule, the PM Modi-led BJP government will now begin providing Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from the three nations, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians. However, it must be noted that the citizenship will be granted only to those who enetered India on or before December 31, 2014. The rules take effect immediately, according to a gazette announcement.
The CAA, enacted by Parliament in December 2019, triggered widespread protests, especially in Delhi, where long-running rallies took place from 2019 to 2020, with Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh emerging as focal areas of resistance. Earlier in 2020, the city had community turmoil in its northeastern areas due to the CAA problem, resulting in the deaths of 53 people and the wounding of nearly 500 more.