The Delhi Police on Sunday morning imposed Section 144 preventing the gathering of groups of people and deployed security personnel in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, where hundreds of women have been leading a protest against the new citizenship law since December. Twelve companies, including two of female forces, have been deployed there, and 100 officers each from four police districts have also been deployed, an official told News18.

After police intervention, the Hindu Sena on Saturday called off a protest it was going calling for the Shaheen Bagh demonstration site to be cleared. The police said the prohibitions were placed on Sunday as a “precautionary measure”.

Last Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra had challenged the police to clear CAA protests sites or threatened that he and his supporters would do it. Clashes broke out hours after this, though there is no evidence to connect the violence to Mishra’s remarks. At least 42 people were killed and over 200 injured in the clashes that erupted between supporters and opponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission on Saturday deputed a fact-finding team to investigate cases of communal violence in North East Delhi, PTI reported.

While a petition seeking an independent judicial inquiry into the violence is pending before the Delhi High Court, the rights commission took suo motu cognisance of the matter.

The NHRC also clarified that it did not order an investigation earlier keeping in mind the safety concerns of its officials. “In order to ensure the safety of its officers in view of the incidents of cross firing during the violent clashes, the commission thought it appropriate to send them for enquiry when the situation was little under control,” it said in a statement. “The teams will visit the north east district police control room, affected people and also meet the families of those who lost life in the violence.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a review meeting with sub-divisional magistrates on Saturday to take stock of relief operations in the violence-hit areas. Kejriwal told reporters that the Delhi government authorities are working to restore normalcy. “The SDMs will ensure that compensation forms are provided to victim’s households so that they can fill it up,” he added. “We have also been distributing food among riot-affected people. There is no shortage of food.”

The police continued to patrol the areas in North East Delhi on Sunday and a heavy deployment of security personnel was seen across the district.