New Delhi: Faced with the unprecedented protests in the capital over the most vicious physical and sexual assault of a 23-year-old physiotherapist in a moving bus, the Delhi Police has been forced to take preventive measures to contain them.
Four Delhi Metro stations near the War Memorial will now remain closed from Sunday morning till further orders. The metro stations that will remain closed will be Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course stations, DMRC officials said.
The closing of stations for an indefinite time came following a direction from Delhi Police. "The stations will remain closed till DMRC gets further orders from the Delhi Police. All the four stations are close to India Gate. However, interchange will be allowed at Central Secretariat station," the officials said.
The decision was taken after protests over the gangrape of a young girl erupted in Raisina Hill, the seat of power. Thousands of youth on Saturday clashed with police undeterred by the repeated use of water cannons, teargas shells and baton charge.
Demonstrators comprising girls and boys gathered right from the morning at India Gate and marched to Raisina Hill where Rashtrapati Bhavan and Prime Minister's Office are located. A boy and girl and a traffic policeman were injured as the police tried to push the protesters.
Window panes of a police van were smashed. One of the girls broke the glass window of a bus with her hands. The police crackdown came as 'negotiations' failed at the Raisina Hill leading to Rashtrapati Bhawan failed and the protesters, comprising largely young women and men, tried to breach the barricades to push towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The protest spot resembled a battle zone with empty shells and wet roads. The area has been cordoned off and police reinforcements have been rushed to the Hill that divides the North and South Block, which houses the Prime Minister's Office. Girl protesters alleged that policemen hit them with lathis and declared they will launch a sit-in in the area.
With additional information from PTI
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