Mobile internet services will be suspended across a four-kilometre radius in central Delhi from 10 pm on Friday ahead of a protest at Jantar Mantar, while 57 Delhi Metro stations will close their entry and exit gates from 9 pm and some trains to the capital will be cancelled on Saturday.
The shutdown was ordered for 24 hours, according to a notification issued by Manishi Chandra, Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, as reported by The Indian Express. The restricted zone extends from the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing and covers central Delhi areas expected to see large-scale demonstrations.
The protest has been called by the Cockroach Janta Party, along with democracy activists, opposition parties and lawmakers, to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters are seeking action over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision, or voter re-verification exercise. The allegations have been raised by the protesting groups and were not independently established in the report.
The shutdown is part of a wider security and mobility plan being implemented by the Delhi Police and the central government ahead of Saturday’s protest. The Indian Express reported that the plan includes the deployment of around 23,000 Central Armed Police Force personnel and approximately 5,000 Delhi Police personnel, along with barricading on roads leading to Jantar Mantar.
The restrictions will extend beyond the protest site. Trains arriving at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations are scheduled to be cancelled between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday. The report did not specify the number of affected services or whether alternative arrangements had been announced for passengers.
The Delhi Metro has also announced the closure of entry and exit facilities at 57 stations across northern, southern, eastern, western and central Delhi from 9 pm on Friday. The report did not state whether trains would pass through the affected stations or whether services on particular corridors would be curtailed.
Police have warned ride-hailing operators, including Uber and Ola, to be cautious about picking up people considered suspicious while travelling towards Jantar Mantar. Food delivery aggregators, including Zomato, are also being tracked for bulk orders that police believe could indicate gatherings of protesters, according to sources cited by The Indian Express.
The measures follow a similar security strategy used during a Cockroach Janta Party protest in Delhi in June, when thousands of people demonstrated and then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, according to the report. The current restrictions are expected to affect commuters, railway passengers, metro users, delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers and businesses operating in and around central Delhi.
The mobile internet block is scheduled to begin at 10 pm on Friday and remain in force for 24 hours. Metro entry and exit closures are scheduled to start at 9 pm, while the reported railway cancellations will apply from 4 am to 2 pm on Saturday.
