For the first time in the Indian capital mass internet and mobile communication blackouts were applied, the Times of India notes.
Approximately 1,200 people have been detained in New Delhi in the past 24 hours during protests against a new version of the citizenship law. The Times of India reported on Friday that the detainees were taken to Surjamal and Rajiv Gandhi stadiums.
According to the newspaper, many opposition leaders were also among them. By morning, most of the detainees had been released.
Police blocked the city center in the area of the historic Red Fort, where the day before the largest protest action was planned, all mass meetings and events were banned. For the first time in the Indian capital, mass blackouts of the Internet, mobile communications, voice and SMS messages were used, says the newspaper. But by Friday morning, communication has been restored in most districts.
Due to the fact that police blocked the entrance to many streets and entire areas, in New Delhi on Thursday, there were many kilometers of traffic jams, which resulted in the cancellation of 19 flights – passengers and even flight crews could not get to the Indira Gandhi International Delhi Airport on time.
Despite these measures, small demonstrations were held until Thursday evening in various parts of the city – Rajghat, Daryaganj, Jamiya Nagar and Kashmiri Gate.
On Friday, increased security measures were announced in the city. Police are on duty at intersections and squares. Some streets are closed or restricted. New Delhi Police Communications Representative Mandip Singh Randhava told the press that 52 additional police units, including counter-terrorism and riot control special forces, have been deployed in the capital.