New Delhi woke up on Saturday to an unprecedented security clampdown as the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar arrived, with trains cancelled, dozens of metro stations shut, mobile internet suspended in central Delhi and thousands of security personnel deployed across the capital.
Indian Railways cancelled Mail and Express trains arriving at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday. Trains that started from their originating stations after 2 pm on Friday and were scheduled to reach either station during that window were cancelled at source. The Howrah-New Delhi and Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express trains were among those cancelled. A railway official said the decision was taken to minimise passenger inconvenience amid the possibility of severe road congestion around the two stations, while the Railways ministry cited intelligence inputs and a traffic advisory. Around 5,000 passengers had missed their trains on Thursday, according to officials.
Metro and internet curbs
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed entry and exit gates at 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday to 6 pm on Saturday on security grounds, though interchange facilities remained operational except at the New Delhi station. Delhi Police had separately asked the DMRC to consider restrictions at 57 stations from 9 pm on Friday until the situation normalises, citing concerns about large crowds moving toward sensitive locations in the New Delhi district.
Mobile internet services were suspended within a 4-km radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing in New Delhi from 10 pm on Friday to 10 pm on Saturday, under an order approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs covering all mobile internet technologies. Delhi Police directed Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio and MTNL to implement the order.
Massive security deployment
The Ministry of Home Affairs made 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces — around 23,000 personnel — available to Delhi Police from October 8 to 12, with additional personnel brought in from states including Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Reports estimated the total central deployment at about 26,000, with Delhi Police also deploying around 15,000 personnel, including women paramilitary forces, and using body cameras. Police have set up multi-layered barricades on roads leading toward Jantar Mantar and Parliament, and are checking entry points, buses and railway stations for groups travelling to join the demonstration. All retail liquor shops in Delhi were ordered to remain closed on Friday and Saturday as a preventive measure.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the protest. Officials said the application was submitted on October 7 — only three days before the event, while rules require applications at least 10 days in advance — and cited prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in force in the New Delhi district. DCP Shrishti Pandey warned that any gathering would be considered illegal and would invite legal action.
The protest, organised by the CJP and the All India Students' Association, demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has maintained that the protest will go ahead despite the denial of permission. The scale of the restrictions drew scrutiny on Friday, with senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi and Prashant Bhushan raising the metro and train curbs before the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the matter at 2 pm.
Sources: Business Today | ET Now | ET Now
Indian Railways cancelled Mail and Express trains arriving at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday. Trains that started from their originating stations after 2 pm on Friday and were scheduled to reach either station during that window were cancelled at source. The Howrah-New Delhi and Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express trains were among those cancelled. A railway official said the decision was taken to minimise passenger inconvenience amid the possibility of severe road congestion around the two stations, while the Railways ministry cited intelligence inputs and a traffic advisory. Around 5,000 passengers had missed their trains on Thursday, according to officials.
Metro and internet curbs
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed entry and exit gates at 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday to 6 pm on Saturday on security grounds, though interchange facilities remained operational except at the New Delhi station. Delhi Police had separately asked the DMRC to consider restrictions at 57 stations from 9 pm on Friday until the situation normalises, citing concerns about large crowds moving toward sensitive locations in the New Delhi district.
Mobile internet services were suspended within a 4-km radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing in New Delhi from 10 pm on Friday to 10 pm on Saturday, under an order approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs covering all mobile internet technologies. Delhi Police directed Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio and MTNL to implement the order.
Massive security deployment
The Ministry of Home Affairs made 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces — around 23,000 personnel — available to Delhi Police from October 8 to 12, with additional personnel brought in from states including Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Reports estimated the total central deployment at about 26,000, with Delhi Police also deploying around 15,000 personnel, including women paramilitary forces, and using body cameras. Police have set up multi-layered barricades on roads leading toward Jantar Mantar and Parliament, and are checking entry points, buses and railway stations for groups travelling to join the demonstration. All retail liquor shops in Delhi were ordered to remain closed on Friday and Saturday as a preventive measure.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the protest. Officials said the application was submitted on October 7 — only three days before the event, while rules require applications at least 10 days in advance — and cited prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in force in the New Delhi district. DCP Shrishti Pandey warned that any gathering would be considered illegal and would invite legal action.
The protest, organised by the CJP and the All India Students' Association, demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has maintained that the protest will go ahead despite the denial of permission. The scale of the restrictions drew scrutiny on Friday, with senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi and Prashant Bhushan raising the metro and train curbs before the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the matter at 2 pm.
Sources: Business Today | ET Now | ET Now