Delhi violence could've been avoided had courts heard PIL: Petitioner seeking removal of Shaheen Bagh protest

BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg, who had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of protest at Shaheen Bagh, on Wednesday said that the violence that occurred in northeast Delhi could have been avoided had the court heard his petition on time.

"Had Delhi High Court or the Supreme Court heard my petition on time, the violence in the northeast Delhi where over 17 people have lost their lives could have been avoided," Garg told ANI here.

The petitioner said that the Delhi Police is demoralised due to the death of a head constable and injuries sustained by several other officers.

As many as 20 people have died while hundreds of others have been injured in the violence in northeast Delhi that turned communal and raged for two days.

"We are seeking comprehensive guidelines for the protests across the country. There should be a defined system. Protests should only happen with permissions and at a designated place," Garg said.

"There are over 100 protests like Shaheen Bagh across the country. These are sponsored protests. There is nothing in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that requires anyone to protest against it," he added.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court adjourned till March 23 hearing on the petition in the matter.

The PIL, filed by Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others concerned for removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

The petition also seeks appropriate direction to the respondents, including the Centre, for laying down "detailed, comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines relating to outright restrictions for holding protest/agitation" leading to obstruction of the public space.

Thousands of people, including a large number of Muslim women, have been staging a sit-in protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens.