Day after the massive protest, section 144 imposed near vijay chowk

New Delhi:  A day after the extraordinary protests in the national capital that saw protesters clashing with the police right outside Rashtrapati Bhavan, section 144 was imposed by the government early in the morning. Police evicted the overnight campers at the protest venue in central Delhi. Section 144 of CrPC prohibits assembly of more than four persons in the area.
All routes leading to Rashtrapati Bhawan have been barricaded. Vijay Chowk has been completely cleared by police. Police have urged protesters to move to Ramlila ground. “We will not let protesters gather at India gate, if people try to enter the area they will be detained,” said a Delhi Police official.
As the protesters braved the winter chill in the national capital and held overnight protests at India Gate and Vijay Chowknear Parliament, police on Sunday early morning evacuated them from the areas and took them away in a bus. Protesters were also picked up from outside Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s residence – 10, Janpath. Section 144 has also been imposed in New Delhi district and four metr o stations near India Gate – Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course – have been shut from Sunday morning till further orders.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old gangrape victim has been off the ventilator support system for almost two days now. Doctors at Safdarjung hospital – where she is undergoing treatment – said she is responding well and is psychologically composed. Doctors also tried to take her off the bed and made her take a few steps. They said they would continue with the exercise but it would still take some time before she could actually walk on her own.
Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had on Saturday announced a slew of measures to contain rape incidents in the country. But his announcement couldn’t cut much ice with the protesters as they continued to shout slogans against the government. He said the “government will see if the existing rape laws can be enhanced”, adding that he will consult the Law Ministry for the provision of death penalty.
Meanwhile, more protests have been planned across the country on Sunday. At 8 am at India Gate, cycling groups from across Delhi, accompanied by joggers, skate-boarders and others, will walk from Rajpath to the Rajtrapati Bhawan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s house. India Against Corruption activists will flag off a protest at Jantar Mantar. In Chennai, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party and Tamil actress Trisha will be holding protests, while protests have also been planned in Mumbai, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Bangalore.