No untoward incident reported during anti-CAA protests in Delhi: Police

No untoward incident was reported during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the national capital on Thursday, the Delhi Police said. Besides police personnel, 52 companies of other forces, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), were deployed to maintain law and order, Delhi Police Public Relation Officer (PRO) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said.

He said social media and WhatsApp groups are being closely monitored to check rumour mongering. Legal action will be taken against those who spread rumours, Randhawa told reporters.

"Please share with us if you receive any rumours through groups. We are in the process of identifying those who are indulging in rumour mongering and legal action will be taken against them," the PRO said. Randhawa said no untoward incident was reported during the anti-CAA protests in the city.

He also said police had information of "mass movements from neighbouring states and proper arrangements were made". "There was proper checking on the borders and due to that, traffic was heavy," he told reporters.

Police said around 1,200 protesters demanding scrapping of the amended law were detained on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders. Police used 100 buses and took the detained persons to different locations, including Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana and Keshav Puram.

They were served refreshments, police said. Top officers of the Delhi Police, including DCPs, joint commissioners and special commissioners, monitored the situation on the ground. Various specialised units of the police, including crime branch and vigilance, had also been roped in to keep a tight vigil.

The Delhi Police on Thursday imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 near the Red Fort and several parts of New Delhi and Northeast Delhi. Around 700 officers from every districts were also deployed to maintain law and order during the protests on Thursday.

"We have seen that the rumours were spread during the Jamia (Millia Islamia) incident. We had information that some outsiders would try to circulate rumours here and these would hampered the law and order situation in the area, due to which internet connectivity in some parts of the city was restricted," Randhawa said. Opposition leaders, including D Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Nilotpal Basu, Brinda Karat, Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit, and activists Yogendra Yadav, Umar Khalid, were among those detained near the Red Fort and Mandi House -- the sites of the two planned demonstrations.

Two protests were scheduled in the national capital, one by students and activists and the other by left parties. The two marches are to meet at Shaheed Park near ITO.