New Delhi: Security was heightened across the national capital on Thursday with the police detaining demonstrators protesting near the Red Fort area over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Following this, the entry and exit gates of several metro stations have been closed.

At Red Fort and Mandi House, there was heavy deployment of police forces to maintain law and order.

Section 144, which prohibits the gathering of four or more people, has been imposed in Red Fort area and North-East District. This curfew order came in hours after a request by a Swaraj Abhiyan for a peaceful march against the citizenship law was denied by the police from Red Fort to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park Park in ITO today (December 19).

Permission was not granted for the protest march to be held by Communist Party from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar over the CAA and NRC at 12 noon. Similarly, a request for the march to be held under the banner of 'Hum Bharat Ke Log' was also denied by the police from Red Fort to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park in ITO over CAA at 11:30 am.

The prevailing situation also forced the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to shut the entry and exit gates of the metro stations like Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, ITO, Pragati Maidan, Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Jamia Millia Islamia and Munirka among others as a precautionary measure.

Hence, trains would not halt at these stations. However, services would continue to be operational in the remaining parts of the Delhi Metro network.

The Delhi Traffic Police tweeted that Road No 13A between Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj would be closed for traffic movement and advised people from Noida to take either DND or Akshardam to reach the national capital.

Meanwhile, ten more people have been arrested for allegedly fanning violence in North-East Delhi's Seelampur area amid the protest against CAA.

According to police, out of ten, four accused have a criminal background. They have been accused of pelting stones, burning a police booth and setting two-wheelers ablaze during the protest.

On December 18, the police forces arrested eight people for their alleged involvement in instigating violence in Seelampur.

Protests escalated in Delhi on Sunday after students and cops were left injured during a clash with police in Jamia Millia Islamia area. The demonstrations have spread to other places including at Seelampur and Jafrabad in the north-eastern part of the city.

The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.