Farmers Movement Archive

Civil defence volunteers, home guards to ease burden on police

At the Capital’s containment zones, more home guards and civil defence volunteers will be deployed in order to ease the burden on Delhi Police personnel, who have been busy over the past week with round-the-clock security arrangements due to the ongoing farmers’ agitation at/near almost all of the city’s access points. At a meeting convened to assess the situation related to the protest and the disruptions at Delhi’s entry and exit points, Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Friday underlined the need for “human policing that was effective but not inhuman” either for the protesters or police personnel. According to Raj Niwas sources, Mr. Baijal issued directions that three to four home guards and civil defence volunteers would now assist one police personnel at a containment zone — especially with the enforcement of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks and social distancing. There are almost 6,000 containment zones. A majority of Delhi Police personnel were already juggling their usual duties, including court appearances, investigation in existing cases, law & order deployment and intelligence gathering in addition to the enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour and issuing fines to those not complying with it on a daily basis before the farmers’ agitation added to their load, said sources. Meanwhile, Mr. Baijal told police administrators to be vigilant of the emerging situation at other city access points in addition to the Singhu, Ghazipur, Chilla and Tikri borders. Raj Niwas sources said the ground situation regarding COVID-19 was also discussed at the meeting with the Delhi Police informing the L-G that there was overall higher compliance to wearing masks and maintaining social distancing in Delhi, including its markets and wedding venues.

The Hindu

2020-12-05

New Delhi