Over 5K detained by police to ensure peaceful polls in Delhi
Senior officers said police personnel have been asked to “pick up” persons who “may breach peace” during the elections. Police said this includes repeat offenders not involved in heinous crimes and locals involved in hooliganism
Delhi Police have detained more than 5,000 persons to maintain law and order and prevent untoward incidents, especially at the interstate borders, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in the Capital.
The detentions were done over the past two months, since the Model Code of Conduct came into effect, with police identifying them as “bad characters”, “known hooligans”, “history sheeters”, “people caught consuming liquor in the open” and “locals from JJ colonies”.
A senior police officer from the eastern range, who is overseeing areas bordering Noida and Ghaziabad, said, “We have been working with UP Police and companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) to up the security for the Lok Sabha elections. Deployment around the borders is being changed regularly and combing exercises are being done in sensitive areas and JJ colonies to round up suspicious characters.”
Police say “bad characters” are persons found involved in public brawls, hooliganism, peddling drugs, gambling or undertaking illegal liquor trade.
Delhi Police said they have held multiple meetings with central agencies to strengthen security arrangements around the border.
Senior officers said police personnel have been asked to “pick up” persons who “may breach peace” during the elections. Police said this includes repeat offenders not involved in heinous crimes and locals involved in hooliganism.
In east Delhi, at least 739 persons were detained under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC, which allow police to make detentions and arrests based on the likelihood of a person disturbing the peace or committing a cognisable offence.
According to data shared by police, over 500 persons were detained in east Delhi under Section 116(3) of the CrPC, which stands for preventing breach of peace.
Under the Excise Act, more than 908 persons were detained in east Delhi for public drinking and carrying liquor above permissible limits. The permissible limit of liquor in Delhi is nine litres of hard liquor or 18 litres of beer.
The police also arrested over 120 proclaimed offenders in this period to prevent crimes in east Delhi.
Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary said they have been actively working to take preventive action in their district and at borders, such as the Apsara border. “We have seized more than 3,500 litres of liquor and detained/rounded up several persons as we received inputs that they might disturb public tranquillity or are bad characters.”
Police refused to share the name of the exact location the offenders were picked up from but said most of them were detained from JJ colonies and marketplaces.
Police in southwest Delhi, who handle law and order in south Delhi, as well as oversee the Delhi-Haryana borders, said additional pickets have been set up to take preventive action.
DCP (southwest) Rohit Meena said that over ₹3.9 crore of unaccounted money and 9,400 litres of hard liquor were seized.
According to the data, more than 423 persons were detained under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC, and over 310 persons were detained under Section 116 (3) of the CrPC. Police detained more than 1,250 offenders in Delhi and around Gurugram under Section 40 A of the Excise Act.
DCP Meena shared that a total of 106 proclaimed offenders were also detained and over 50 persons were booked under the Arms Act and NDPS Act.
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