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New Delhi: Delhi is gearing up for a mega Opposition rally by the INDIA bloc against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Student unions and civil
society activists are also likely to participate in the rally. Notably, the Opposition has been targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre and Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A protest march, 'Chalo Dilli', will reportedly begin from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and proceed towards Ramlila Maidan at noon. The rally is being organised under the banner of 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' and is scheduled to take place between 10 am and 5 pm. According to reports, senior Congress leaders will travel in open buses from party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence to the starting point of the rally.
4,000 Cops Deployed and 200 CCTV Cameras Installed:
According to Opposition leaders, the rally is expected to witness a massive turnout of around 10 lakh people. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police expects approximately 50,000 people to participate. More than 4,000 police personnel, along with companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), will be deployed at Ramlila Maidan for the mega Opposition rally.
The entire venue has been divided into 14 zones, with more than 200 CCTV cameras installed for surveillance, officials said, as reported by PTI.
Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, accompanied by senior officers, including the special commissioner, joint commissioner and deputy commissioners of the Central and New Delhi districts, inspected security arrangements at Minto Road and Ramlila Maidan on Saturday.
In a related development, the deployment of 270 CAPF companies, called in earlier this month in view of a series of protests, has been extended for the third time, until November 16, the news agency reported. The Delhi Police has been tasked with coordinating their deployment across the city.
The security arrangements also include drone surveillance and body-worn cameras. Meanwhile, a control room has been set up inside the ground to monitor the situation, while anti-riot vehicles and other surveillance equipment will remain deployed to deal with any eventuality.
Each of the 14 zones at the venue will be supervised by an officer of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) rank, while two zones will be monitored by an Additional DCP-rank officer. Senior officers will closely monitor the arrangements.
Officials said Ramlila Maidan has a capacity of approximately 45,000 to 50,000 people when vacant. However, once chairs, barricaded enclosures and designated passageways are set up, the police expect the venue to accommodate around 30,000 to 40,000 people.
Police have asked the organisers to deploy volunteers to regulate the crowd, facilitate the movement of attendees and arrange drinking water. Separate entry gates have been designated for different categories of attendees, including VIPs, officials said.
Traffic personnel will be deployed at key intersections, with around 150 additional traffic police personnel assigned to regulate vehicular movement.
Traffic diversions will be implemented at various intersections, but pedestrian movement will not be affected, officials said.
Special arrangements will also be made to ensure uninterrupted passage for ambulances and emergency vehicles heading towards LNJP Hospital and GB Pant Hospital.
Police have also asked the organisers to share details of invitees, volunteers and buses bringing people to the rally, and coordinate with the traffic police on parking arrangements. They have been directed to ensure discipline and avoid speeches that could disturb communal harmony.
Public Impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
On Saturday, the INDIA bloc passed a symbolic 'public impeachment' resolution against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The mock Parliament proceedings, presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, were held at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. INDIA bloc leaders, MPs, civil society representatives and individuals who alleged that their names had been wrongfully deleted from electoral rolls attended the meeting.
The resolution seeking the CEC's removal was passed unanimously through a show of hands.
