Delhi Police on Wednesday denied claims that they had ordered all coaching centres and paying guest rooms to remain shut from December 24 till January 2, 2020 in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area. The locality is known as a hub for coaching centres and is mostly populated by students from different parts of the country, who come to prepare for civil services exams.

The police’s denial came after a video posted on Tuesday midnight by a Twitter user showed a police official in the area asking students to leave. “The law and order situation is quite weak,” said the police official in the video. “There is Section 144 in the whole of Delhi. So if there is any gathering or nuisance then you will spoil your career. Are you understanding? Do not spoil you career.” Later in the video, the official also said that “no one will take part in a protest or procession.” Pictures of a notice pasted on the institutes in the Mukherjee Nagar area have also been shared widely.

Delhi Police also registered a case against the alleged fake messages that ordered the coaching centres and paying guest rooms to shut down, ANI reported. “We have registered case against fake messages being circulated on social media and also writing to the social media platform to remove the video as its content has been edited,” Deputy Commissioner of Police for North West Delhi Vijyanta Arya told ANI.

Assistant Sub Inspector Yograj of Mukherjee Nagar Police Station told Scroll.in that the order was “fake news”. “No such order has gone out from our end,” he said. “If the order came from us then it would have a signature on it.”

However, a few students took to Twitter on Wednesday to seek help. “Sir I am from Bihar presently preparing for competitive exams at Mukherjee Nagar , Pg owners are forcing students to go home Sir please do something,” wrote a student. Another student from Bihar also alleged that he was being evicted from his paying guest accommodation.

The development comes amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country. There is widespread fear in the North East that populations defined as indigenous to the region would be culturally and physically overrun by migrants as a result of this law’s provisions. Elsewhere in India, the legislation has been opposed due to the religious criterion for citizenship.