Mediators blame police for blocking of Shaheen roads

Former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah has told the Supreme Court that the protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was peaceful and the inconvenience being caused to commuters was due to the barricades “unnecessarily” put by police on roads far from the site. The same line was taken by social activist Syed Bahadur Abbas Naqvi and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad in their joint affidavit filed in the Supreme Court. court.

Mr Habibullah, Mr Azad and Mr Naqvi have jointly filed an intervention application in the court. Mr Habibullah had visited the protest site at Shaheen Bagh pursuant to the direction by a bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph. The bench is due to hear the matter on Monday. The court is hearing pleas seeking the removal of the protestors from Shaheen Bagh and ensuring a smooth traffic flow in the area. The Supreme Court earlier said though the people have a fundamental right to protest “peacefully and lawfully”,

■ Continued from Page 1 it was troubled by the blocking of a public road at Shaheen Bagh as it might lead to a “chaotic situation”.

Mr Habbibullah said: “I noticed that there are numerous number of roads that have no connection with the protest that have been barricaded by the police unnecessarily, abdicating their responsibilities and duties and wrongly laying the blame on the protest. It is this barricading of unconnected roads that has led to a chaotic situation.”

Former CIC Habbibullah also said that the police should reveal the names of those responsible for the decision to block the parallel and arterial roads in the area.

The blockage of the road by protesters had become a key issue ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, with the BJP blaming the protesters and accusing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of encouraging them. “Feeding biryani to Shaheen Bagh” was how BJP star campaigner and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had put it.

Mr Habibullah said the protesters were not blocking school vans or ambulances as has been alleged by some political parties.