Delhi is preparing for heightened security ahead of a protest scheduled for October 10, with the police urging personnel to use minimum force, the Centre making around 23,000 Central Armed Police Forces personnel available and proposed restrictions at 57 metro stations.
Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Madhur Verma, Central Range, appealed to personnel to maintain restraint while managing the expected crowds. “Prepare for the storm. Practise restraint. Protect the peace. Because the true strength of the police is not merely in controlling a crowd, but in doing so with discipline, dignity and minimum force,” Verma said in a post on X on Friday.
The security arrangements come amid demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The Cockroach Janta Party has called the protest, but Delhi Police denied permission for the proposed gathering at Jantar Mantar, citing violations of rules during an earlier demonstration, according to a senior police officer.
The officer said the party submitted its application on October 7, three days before the planned protest, while rules require applications at least 10 days in advance. The denial of permission does not remove the immediate operational challenge for the police, as officials are preparing for the possibility of crowds moving towards sensitive locations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made around 23,000 CAPF personnel available to the Delhi Police for deployment between October 8 and 12. This will take the number of central force personnel deployed in the capital to more than 25,000, officials said.
The Delhi government has also ordered liquor shops to remain closed on October 9 and 10. The Excise Department said the decision was based on inputs from the Delhi Police and the prevailing situation, citing the need to maintain public order.
Public transport operations may also be affected. The police have proposed closing entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations and reducing train frequency because of the likelihood of “unruly crowd movement towards sensitive locations”. In an October 8 letter, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Transport Range, asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to implement the proposed measures.
The proposed metro restrictions could affect commuters even if they are not connected to the protest. Station-level access controls and lower train frequency can alter interchange routes, increase waiting times and redirect passengers towards other stations. The supplied police communication does not specify which 57 stations would be affected or how long any restrictions would remain in place.
The security plan also includes multi-layered barricading and CCTV monitoring from control rooms. Officials said face-recognition cameras would be installed across the capital as part of the precautionary arrangements.
The measures place Delhi’s transport network, public spaces and commercial activity within the wider policing response. The immediate operational decisions expected from the Delhi Police and DMRC are the identification of affected stations, the timing of any gate closures and the notification of changes to train services before the scheduled protest on October 10.
