Delhi authorities have deployed more than 23,000 security personnel and imposed sweeping restrictions ahead of a large opposition-backed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, with the measures expected to disrupt Metro and railway services across the national capital region.
The protest is being led by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, with Opposition INDIA bloc leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien and Akhilesh Yadav expected to participate, according to the Indian Express. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.
The Opposition has alleged severe irregularities in the revision exercise and argued that arbitrary deletions from electoral rolls could affect citizens’ voting rights. The Election Commission has denied wrongdoing, according to the report.
Delhi Police have imposed restrictions on large gatherings in New Delhi district under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Police said the restrictions were introduced to prevent large-scale disruption of law and order. Barricades have also been installed in areas expected to see protest-related movement.
The security arrangements include the deployment of more than 23,000 personnel across Delhi. The measures are also affecting public transport. Fifty-seven Metro stations in the National Capital Region have been shut ahead of the protest, according to the report. The New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations have also been closed, with trains to and from the stations suspended.
The closures are likely to affect commuters, railway passengers and residents travelling through central Delhi. The two railway stations are among the capital’s major passenger hubs, while the affected Metro stations connect residential areas, commercial districts and interchange points across the NCR. The report did not specify when the stations would reopen or provide a detailed list of the affected Metro stations.
The action follows earlier demonstrations linked to the voter-roll revision that ended in widespread police detentions, according to the report. Opposition leaders have called for the latest mobilisation while maintaining that the revision process threatens the integrity of the electoral system.
The protest is scheduled to take place at Jantar Mantar on October 10. Delhi Police restrictions, security deployment and transport closures will remain the immediate operational measures surrounding the event, while the Election Commission’s position on the Special Intensive Revision remains unchanged.
