Bharat Jodo Yatra to march through areas hit by Feb 2020 riots

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will resume his Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 3 from Delhi’s Yamuna Bazar, and his rally will pass through different parts of north-east Delhi. Officials aware of the details of the march said some of the areas that the Wayanad MP will march through include those which were affected during the February 2020 riots, including Maujpur, Seelampur, and Gokalpuri.

These areas in north-east Delhi also feature among the most crime-prone areas in the city, in terms of street crime, according to police records.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra arrived in Delhi on December 24, after covering a distance of 2,800km. Following a nine-day break, it will resume on January 3 and enter Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh from the Loni border on the same day, officials aware of the matter said.

Ahead of the resumption of the rally, leaders of the Delhi Congress unit held several meetings with Delhi Police officers. One such meeting, held at 24, Akbar Road -- the headquarters of the Congress party -- on Friday afternoon was attended by senior officers of the Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), along with the district deputy commissioners of East and Northeast Delhi.

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While the inner cordon of Gandhi’s security is managed by CRPF, the outer ring comprises the police personnel of states through which the Yatra is passing.

The meeting was held in the backdrop of Congress general secretary KC Venugopal writing to Union home minister Amit Shah, alleging that Gandhi’s security had been compromised multiple times when after the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Delhi through Badarpur. He also said that the Yatra would pass through sensitive areas of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

“We told police personnel about the threat to our leader Rahul Gandhi. There is always a threat to his life when he walks on the road. He is also a senior leader in the opposition. We have also made suggestions. The police officers at the meeting said they would have a cordon around him using a rope which will be manned by police personnel,” said Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Anil Chaudhary.

Delhi Police did not share details on how Gandhi’s security will be increased, but officials aware of the matter said that an advance security liaison (ASL) team would inspect the route that he is expected to take on Tuesday.

An officer aware of the security details said, “The security ring around the Congress leader will be strengthened. Delhi police and CRPF will ensure that no one breaks this cordon. There will be adequate deployment of police personnel on the road. The traffic police will also ensure that vehicular traffic is diverted at specific locations.

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In February 2020, clashes between Hindus and Muslims in parts of north-east Delhi left at least 53 dead and over 400 injured.

After Venugopal’s letter to Rao, CRPF officials on Thursday had said Gandhi had committed 113 security violations since 2020. They said that on several occasions, the CRPF had informed Gandhi about his violation of the laid-down security procedures.