Delhi authorities have ordered the closure of 57 Metro stations from 9 pm on Friday until the situation normalises, while railway services at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations have also been suspended for 10 hours on Saturday ahead of a planned protest at Jantar Mantar.
The restrictions have been imposed in anticipation of a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party-AISA against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The event is scheduled to take place at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The 57 stations identified in a police letter to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation include major interchange and central stations such as Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Mandi House, ITO, Kashmere Gate, Hauz Khas, Lajpat Nagar, Supreme Court and Sarai Kale Khan–Nizamuddin. Stations on multiple corridors in north, northeast, east, central and southern Delhi are also included.
The list covers stations including Janpath, Lok Kalyan Marg, Khan Market, R. K. Ashram Marg, Jhandewalan, Barakhamba Road, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Shivaji Stadium, INA, Jor Bagh, Arjangarh, Jangpura, Ashram, Kalindi Kunj, Jasola, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar, Chawri Bazar, Jama Masjid, Karol Bagh, Rajendra Place, Vishwavidyalaya, Vidhan Sabha, Civil Lines, Inderlok, G. T. B. Nagar, Kanhaiya Nagar, Netaji Subhash Place and Azadpur.
The spread of stations across several parts of the capital indicates that the police are preparing for possible crowd movement along multiple routes rather than restricting access only around the protest venue. The closures are expected to affect commuters using central interchanges and stations connecting residential, commercial and institutional areas.
Delhi Police has also put in place wider security and mobility restrictions, including curbs on app-based taxis and the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces. As many as 221 companies, comprising around 23,000 personnel, have been made available to the Delhi Police between October 8 and October 12. Five all-women paramilitary companies are also scheduled to be deployed.
The Central Reserve Police Force companies being brought in for the deployment include units from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. The scale of mobilisation reflects the authorities’ preparation for a potentially large gathering and associated movement across the capital.
Indian Railways has separately cancelled all trains arriving at or departing from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations for 10 hours on Saturday. The cancellations are part of the measures announced in view of anticipated congestion around the protest and its access routes.
The Metro station closures will remain in force from 9 pm on Friday until the authorities assess that the situation has normalised. Rail cancellations are scheduled for the 10-hour period on Saturday.
