Protests barred at 3 Bhopal sites for 2 months, no alternative site designated

An order cited the movement of emergency services like ambulances and fire brigades and VIPs and VVIPs

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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 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.

Opposition Congress leader Anand Jat accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of suppressing people’s voices by issuing such an order. “They are now afraid of people’s voice, but these restrictions will not stop people from raising their voice,” said Jat.

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.

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  I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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