COVID-19: Remove Shaheen Bagh protesters says plea in SC

New Delhi, Mar 19: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the immediate removal of crowds at the Shaheen Bagh in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The petitioner said that in the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus, there should be a directive for the immediate removal and dispersal of mass gatherings from Delhi's Shaheen Bagh.

This is the second time that a petition with a similar prayer has been filed. The earlier plea had cited public inconvenience and sought the removal of the protesters. The court had appointed interlocutors to speak with the protesters, but the same was of no avail.

The protest at Shaheen Bagh continues despite the outbreak of coronavirus. The protesters have been agitating for the past 90 days against the newly amended citizenship law.

They have said that they would continue with the agitation while taking necessary health precautions. The Delhi government has ordered a ban on any formal gathering of more than 200 people, including sports events such as the IPL. Ensuring social distancing as a precautionary measure, deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia had said.

Sisodia however said with regard to the removal of the protesters, that would need to be done by the central government.

We issued an order to shut all cinema halls, schools and colleges until March 31. We have banned any sports gatherings, seminars and conferences have 200 people of more. Beynd this if people are still meeting in larger numbers then we can only appeal to them not to do so, Sisodia also said. Public health should be of prime importance, he had also said.