Delhi has imposed sweeping security and movement restrictions ahead of a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with 45 Metro stations closed, at least 245 trains cancelled and mobile Internet suspended in part of Central Delhi.
The restrictions were announced ahead of Saturday’s protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the All India Students’ Association and others. The organisers have alleged “vote chori” by the Election Commission and the central government. Opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday and submitted a memorandum on the allegations. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said a similar memorandum would be given to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday.
At least 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed across the capital by Friday evening. Delhi Police said its plan was designed to prevent protesters from reaching Central Delhi and to maintain access to critical infrastructure. The Union Home Secretary directed states and Union Territories to coordinate with Delhi Police to “pre-empt any breach of public tranquility and to safeguard critical infrastructure”.
Police have identified 37 blocking points in the New Delhi district and around 30 temporary detention facilities across Delhi’s 15 districts. These include police stations, police buildings and sports complexes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Chhatrasal Stadium and Yamuna Sports Complex. Authorities have also commissioned approximately 600 low-floor buses to transport detained protesters.
Delhi Police said 7,000 to 8,000 personnel would be deployed on the ground, with the number capable of rising to 15,000 if required. They will be supported by 221 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, comprising around 23,000 personnel brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. The forces are scheduled to remain available to Delhi Police from October 8 to 12, and include five companies of all-women personnel.
The security operation has affected the city’s transport network. The Railways cancelled at least 245 trains arriving at or departing from Delhi stations on Saturday, including 75 Mail and Express trains. Northern Railway said trains originating after 2 pm on October 9 and scheduled to reach New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10 would be cancelled at source because of the expected road congestion around the stations. Several Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Humsafar and Tejas Express services are among those affected.
The Delhi Metro later confirmed the closure of 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday. Police had initially requested closures at 57 stations and reduced train frequency at others. The affected number is considerably higher than the 16 stations closed during protests in July, mostly in Central Delhi.
Mobile Internet services have been suspended for 24 hours within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing, according to a notification issued by Manishi Chandra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell. Police have also imposed restrictions involving app-based taxis and hotels. Hotel staff told The Indian Express that some establishments had been asked to turn away categories of guests, including people carrying local identification documents and students or young people arriving from outside Delhi.
The New Delhi Traders Association advised shops, offices and restaurants in Connaught Place to remain closed on Saturday. Liquor stores across Delhi were shut on Friday and Saturday, while several schools and colleges moved classes online. The Patiala House and Rouse Avenue courts are scheduled to function virtually on Saturday.
Entry into Delhi was also being restricted at the borders with Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram. Senior police officers said vehicles were being checked for the number of occupants, whether passengers appeared young and whether they were carrying protest signs, posters or banners. Opposition leaders alleged that party members and activists in several states had been detained at their homes or police stations to prevent them from travelling to Delhi. There were also allegations of students being removed from trains at Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh.
The security deployment followed what senior police officers described as two lapses during an earlier CJP protest against the NEET-UG paper leak. Officers said police had underestimated the number of protesters and deployed different units and jurisdictional districts at the same location. For Saturday’s operation, Delhi Police said each blocking point had been assigned to a specific unit or district. The Supreme Court had expressed concern over the restrictions, with a Bench led by the Chief Justice observing that “you cannot use a hammer to kill a fly”.
