New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Delhi Police Friday said that prohibitory orders will be imposed from Saturday in the heart of the capital coinciding with parliament session, but this is where Gandhian Anna Hazare is to fast from Aug 16.
Police will impose Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (IPC) in areas like India Gate, the Central Vista lawns, Rajpath, Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place and its surrounding localities.
Anna’s fast is set to take place at Jantar Mantar, which falls in the area where Section 144 will prohibit the assembly of five or more people in one place.
The notification bars public meetings, processions and demonstrations.
It said that shouting slogans, making speeches or staging sit-ins in any public place in the area would not be permissible without a ‘written permission’ from July 30 to Sep 9.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said: ‘It is nothing unusual. We impose Section 144 during parliament session. The monsoon session will start from Aug 1 and will end Sep 9.’
The order could endanger the plan of Hazare, who plans to go on an indefinite hunger strike for the second time to press for a strong anti-corruption Lokpal bill.
Team Anna told IANS: ‘We are waiting for a reply from Delhi Police to the letter we sent earlier, seeking permission to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar.’
While civil society activists had wanted the prime minister included under the Lokpal, the draft bill to be introduced in the monsoon session has left the prime minister out of its ambit.
