Delhi: 'Anti-Riots Mock Drill' Ahead Of Farmers' Protest Triggers 'Gas Leak' Scare

Panic gripped parts of north and east Delhi as locals complained of eye irritation and suffocation on Saturday evening, following which calls were made to the fire department about a suspected gas leak. However, officials could not confirm it as they did not find any suspicious gas, news agency PTI reported.

Delhi Police said an anti-riots mock drill exercise was conducted at Yamuna Khadar which falls between some parts of east and north Delhi. According to an officer, although the smoke due to the tear gas shell could have been the reason but it was not verified, PTI reported.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials received a gas leak call around 6:30 pm from near the Geeta Colony flyover. Despite the dispatch of two fire tenders to the location, they were unable to locate any suspicious gas.

People also tagged Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on X and wrote that they were finding it hard to breathe. They also requested the concerned authorities to look into the matter.

A user wrote,”Something tragic happened in Delhi arounf Laxmi Nagar. Seems like gas leak or something. Its’s hard to breathe as well as something hard prick to see.” Another user said, “Gas leak in areas around Laxminagar, East Delhi. Potentially a big one! Suffocation faced by all passers by.”

Another user wrote,”Some sort of a gas leak, near laxmi nagar geeta colony. Irritation in eyes and breathing issues faced by residents. No official statement yet.”

As per PTI’s sources, Delhi Police is gearing up for a potential farmers’  protest scheduled for February 13. Farmer groups declared a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13 to urge the Centre to address various demands including ensuring minimum support prices for agricultural produce.

Extensive preparations are underway to secure the borders between Punjab and Haryana in the districts of Ambala, Jind, and Fatehabad ahead of the farmers’ planned march to Delhi.

On Saturday, the Haryana Police also issued a traffic advisory, advising commuters to restrict travel on the state’s main roads to essential journeys on February 13. This preemptive measure aims to manage potential traffic disturbances on key routes connecting Haryana to Punjab.

Meanwhile, a large number of farmers from approximately 100 villages in Noida and Greater Noida converged on the streets on Thursday, causing extensive traffic disruptions in various areas of Delhi-NCR as they attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to march towards Parliament, .