'Deleted chat history': Hide & seek game ensues between Chinese protesters, cops

China's protests against President Xi Jinping's zero Covid policy appears to have slowed with police out in full force at key protest sites. Cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, among others, where online calls to gather had been issued on Monday, were also reportedly quiet.

Chinese authorities have begun inquiries into some of the people who gathered at weekend protests against COVID-19 curbs, three people who were at the Beijing demonstrations told Reuters. In one of the cases, a caller identifying as a police officer in the Chinese capital asked the protester to show up at a police station on Tuesday to deliver a written record of their activities on Sunday night.

In another, a student was contacted by their college and asked if they had been in the area where events took place and to provide a written account. One of the protestors also revealed that "they are all deleting their chat history."

In Hangzhou, videos on social media showed hundreds of police occupying a large square on Monday night, preventing people from congregating. As for areas like Shanghai and Beijing, police were patrolling areas where some groups on Telegram messaging service had suggested people gather again. Meanwhile, a busload of demonstrators were taken away by police during Sunday night protests in Shanghai.

On Tuesday, the country's foreign ministry with reference to the recent protests, said that China is a country with rule of law and all rights and freedoms of Chinese citizens are protected but they must be exercised within the framework of the law.

While authorities eased some regulations, apparently to try to quell public anger, the government showed no sign of backing down on its larger coronavirus strategy, and analysts expect authorities to quickly silence the dissent, AFP said.

Protests across China took place over last weekend after a deadly fire killed 10 people on Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang region. Many blamed the Covid lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts during the fire.

China, where the first case of the coronavirus was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan city, follows a "zero Covid" strategy, which includes mass testing, strict isolation rules, travel restrictions and local lockdowns.

(With inputs from agencies)

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