CAA stir: PM Modi to address mega rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan

Lucknow: Ahead of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act taking a violent turn in many of the Indian states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally in Delhi on the same issue.

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The rally at Ramlila Maidan will begin around 11.30 am, according to India Today. The venue is a just over a kilometre from Old Delhi’s Daryaganj locality, where the police used water cannons and batons on protestors on Friday evening.

Senior officials held meetings till 5 am on Saturday to discuss the security arrangements, and decided to monitor social media to stop rumour-mongering, sources revealed. The police have stepped up checking of vehicles on border areas to ensure “unscrupulous” elements do not enter the national Capital to disrupt the rally, unidentified officials told the news channel.

Security has been increased in the city. CCTV will be used to keep an eye on all the routes leading to the venue and snipers will be positioned on top of buildings. Central security agencies have declared areas around the Ramlila Maidan no-fly zones, and almost 5,000 security and traffic personnel will form the security cover in and around the venue.

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The National Security Guard’s anti-aircraft and anti-drone squads will be deployed to tackle air strikes. Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa said a three-layer security will protect Modi. “Twenty deputy commissioners of police are being deployed to take charge of the security arrangements,” said Randhawa.

“Around 2,000 personnel of central armed forces such as Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Protection Force will be deployed at the venue. This is in addition to security and traffic personnel of Delhi Police and commandos of central security agencies.”

The rally will kick off the ruling party’s election campaign in Delhi, which will go to the polls early next year. The BJP had won just three of the 70 seats in the last elections.

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