Locals in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar say outstation students are fleeing the neighbourhood in numbers on orders of Delhi Police, after a viral video of a cop instructing them to stay away from the North Campus locality went viral on social media on Tuesday.
In the video, a Delhi Police officer is heard telling the listeners to head for a winter break between Dec 24 and Jan 2 in view of the prevailing situation in the city, which he described as sensitive and tense. "Don't be seen around between Dec 24 and Jan 2. The situation is pretty sensitive. You don't want to spoil your careers because of this, do you?" the cop is heard asking.
After the video went viral, Delhi Police clarified that the remarks of the police officer were being taken "out of context." The police have also registered a case against "unidentified persons" over a written note doing the rounds of social media. The forged note cited the police instructing the coaching centres and PG accommodation to shut shop.
"No such note has been issued by Delhi Police," says Govind Mishra, the coordinator of Yuva Halla Bol movement. But Mishra, also a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirant who lives near Mukherjee Nagar, states that "verbal orders" have indeed been passed on by Delhi Police to local businesses.
"Most of the shops here are closed. The students who have stayed back are finding it difficult to get food to eat, as most of the messes here are closed," he tells India TV. The activist also claims that in the wake of these "verbal orders" being issued by the cops, businesses in the student-reliant neighbourhood are seeing one of their thinnest festive seasons in years.
"Most of the students here, despite the winter break, prefer to not go back to their homes in other cities. However, things are not the same this time around," he says.
A press note issued by Yuva Halla Bol says that a recce of the neighbourhood hint toward a student exodus in the wake of instructions by Delhi Police.
"Delhi Police has been intimidating teachers and students. We demand an end to that," says the statement.
In fact, Mishra has now also released the second part to the disputed video, which he says debunks the claims being made by Delhi Police.
Another student from Bihar, who doesn't want to be identified, he has been told off by cops when he was returning home on Tuesday evening, "They are asking students to leave. I don't understand why, because many of us here are involved in no protest whatsoever," he says.
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