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Police have prohibited sit-ins, demonstrations, agitations, strikes, and burning of effigies at three popular protest spots in Bhopal for the next two months without designating any alternative place.

Bhopal police commissioner Sanjay Kumar declared the three sites and the stretches between them as restricted zones.Bhopal police commissioner Sanjay Kumar declared Polytechnic Square, Akashvani Square, Kilol Park Square, and the stretches between them as restricted zones for protests under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Section 163.

In the order issued on Monday, Kumar said these intersections lie on the main road leading to important places like the airport, Hamidia Hospital and Gandhi Medical College. It added that it is the only convenient route and there is no alternative. “Frequent applications are received from communities, organisations, political parties, committees and delegations to hold dharna, protest, demonstrations, agitations and effigy burning at Polytechnic Square, which disrupts traffic and causes severe inconvenience to the public.”

The order cited the movement of emergency services like ambulances and fire brigades and VIPs and VVIPs and said the agitations, protests and demonstrations could endanger the lives of patients due to delays. It added that, therefore, it appears necessary to declare the area as a restricted zone.

Kumar exercised powers under Section 163 (1) of BNSS and prohibited all such programmes in the area. His order under Section 163 (2) of BNSS will remain in force for two months from the date of implementation. It said any violation will attract action.

Tens of thousands of people this month took to the streets in Delhi seeking chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and demanded the scrapping of the exercise.

Authorities ordered Metro closures, Internet shutdowns, imposed prohibitory orders and deployed 40,000 security personnel to turn Delhi into a virtual fortress. Many protesters were dragged, manhandled, and detained.