India Gate to be spruced up for Putin

With Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving on Monday for a day-long visit, the civic agencies are planning to clean up the area around India Gate – the site of a mass protest and violence against a gang-rape. President Putin is likely to visit India Gate Monday, a source said. ‘We will clear away the stones and glass and paper lying on the roads early Monday morning,’ New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) spokesperson Amit Prasad said. The work will be done along with workers of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) as the area around Amar Jawan Jyoti falls under CPWD, he said. Government sources said orders have been passed to the civic agency to clear the area by Monday morning. The India Gate Sunday saw mass protests against the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman. Some of the protesters indulged in violence and stone pelting. They also smashed the wind-screens and windows of several buses in the area. The lawns were littered with footwear and bags of protestors after police resorted to a cane charge to disperse the protesters. Banners and placards carried by the protestors were also strewn around.