Covid-19: Plea in SC for removal of Shaheen Bagh protesters

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking directions for immediate removal or dispersal of mass gathering of people protesting against the CAA at Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj against the backdrop of the ongoing health crisis due to coronavirus.

Advocate Ashutosh Dubey, in the plea, contended scores of protesters are at the protest site since December 15 2019, against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizen and the National Population Register.

“As per information available, 300 women and children are sitting there all the time and the crowd is much more on holidays, running into thousands,” said the plea.

Dubey has urged the apex court to issue direction for immediate removal of such mass gathering of protestors at Shaheen Bagh or any other such site in view of immediate threat of coronavirus spread.

“Considering the manner in which the virus is spreading, the next few weeks are very crucial for all citizens of the country. Life of several lakhs of people in Delhi will be at immediate threat… if by any chance the disease takes a shape of community spread,” said the plea.

Dubey also noted that currently no vaccine is available against coronavirus disease.

“Irresponsible act of the protesters at Shaheen Bagh in spite of such warnings and direction issued by the Centre and the Delhi government is posing immediate threat and danger of infecting and spreading coronavirus to community level when there is no vaccine available,” he said in his plea.

The plea urged the apex court-appointed interlocutors to discuss with the protesters and make them understand the risk which everyone is running and recommend to them to disband for the time being.

–IANS

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