Police visit mosques, ask people to avoid going to Jantar Mantar
Delhi authorities have implemented a massive security lockdown across the city to prevent a youth-led protest against alleged voter roll irregularities. Police have deployed thousands of personnel and are actively discouraging participation by visiting religious sites and setting up detention facilities.
Why it matters
The extensive security measures and the use of religious institutions for police messaging reflect a high-stakes confrontation between the state and protest organizers.
The New Delhi district was placed under a security lockdown on Friday, a day before the proposed youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar against alleged irregularities in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls, with thousands of security personnel deployed across the city and barricades placed at several stretches to prevent protesters from reaching the venue.
The police have set up holding facilities in all 15 districts to house protesters detained en route to Jantar Mantar. Facilities such as Chhatrasal Stadium will be used to house the detainees, a senior officer told The Hindu .
The arrangements mark a shift towards decentralised deployment, with police personnel instructed to intercept protesters within their respective jurisdictions rather than concentrate forces at common locations in central Delhi.
A large number of women police personnel from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been deployed to handle women protesters, said sources.
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