NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has urged its personnel to exercise restraint and use minimum force while handling crowds ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest in the capital on October 10, with around 23,000 additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel being made available for deployment.“Prepare for the storm. Practise restraint. Protect the peace. Because the true strength of the police is not merely in controlling a crowd, but in doing so with discipline, dignity and minimum force,” Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), said in a post on X on Friday.The Ministry of Home Affairs has made around 23,000 CAPF personnel available to Delhi Police for deployment between October 8 and 12, officials said. The additional deployment will take the number of central force personnel in the capital to over 25,000.The heightened security arrangements come amid demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Delhi Police has denied permission for the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, citing violations of rules during an earlier demonstration, a senior officer said on Friday.According to the officer, police received the application seeking permission on October 7, just three days before the planned protest, whereas the rules require applications to be submitted at least 10 days in advance.Metro curbs, liquor shop closuresAs part of precautionary measures, the Delhi government has ordered liquor shops to remain closed on October 9 and 10, citing the prevailing situation and the need to maintain public order. The Excise Department said the decision was based on inputs from Delhi Police.Police have also proposed closing the entry and exit gates of 57 metro stations and reducing train frequency over concerns about “unruly crowd movement towards sensitive locations”.In a letter dated October 8, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Transport Range) asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to implement the proposed measures.Barricades at borders, CCTV surveillanceDelhi Police is putting in place multi-layered barricading and enhanced surveillance to manage the situation. CCTV cameras will monitor developments from control rooms, while face-recognition cameras will also be deployed across the capital, officials said.Vigilance has been stepped up at the city’s borders, including Ghazipur, Chilla, Tikri, Singhu, Gurugram, Kapashera, Loni and Badarpur, to monitor the movement of people and vehicles entering Delhi, they added.
