Delhi faced sweeping security restrictions ahead of a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with 45 Metro stations closed, at least 245 trains cancelled, mobile Internet suspended across part of Central Delhi and around 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed.
The protest, called for Saturday by the Cockroach Janta Party, the All India Students’ Association and other groups, was prohibited by the government. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan directed states and Union Territories to coordinate with the Delhi Police to “pre-empt any breach of public tranquility and to safeguard critical infrastructure”.
The restrictions affected multiple parts of the capital’s transport and civic systems. Northern Railway said trains arriving at or departing from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations were cancelled because of the expected risk of severe road congestion around the stations. The cancellations included 75 Mail and Express trains, as well as several Shatabdis, Rajdhanis, Humsafar and Tejas Express services.
The Railways said trains starting from their source after 2 pm on October 9 and scheduled to reach the two Delhi stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10 would be cancelled at source. The cancellations were expected to affect passengers travelling into and out of the capital during the protest period.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation later announced the closure of 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday. Delhi Police had initially requested that entry and exit gates at 57 stations be closed and train frequencies reduced. The scale of the final closure was larger than the 16-station shutdown imposed during protests in July.
Mobile Internet services were ordered to be suspended for 24 hours in an area of Central Delhi within a 4-km radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing. The restriction began at 10 pm on Friday, according to a notification issued by Manishi Chandra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell.
Police also restricted access to Delhi’s borders with Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram. Officers said vehicles were being checked for the number of occupants, visible signs of young passengers and the presence of protest posters, banners or placards. Hotels were asked to turn away some categories of guests, including people carrying local identification documents and students or young people arriving from outside Delhi, according to hotel staff cited in the report.
The New Delhi Traders Association advised shops, offices and restaurants in Connaught Place to remain closed on Saturday. The Delhi government had also shut liquor stores on Friday and Saturday. Several schools and colleges shifted classes online, while the Patiala House and Rouse Avenue courts were scheduled to function only in virtual mode.
Delhi Police said its security plan was based on preventing protesters from reaching Central Delhi. Officers assigned one police unit or district to each of 37 designated blocking points in the New Delhi district. The police also identified about 30 temporary detention facilities across 15 districts, including police stations, police buildings and sports complexes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Chhatrasal Stadium and Yamuna Sports Complex.
Around 600 low-floor buses were commissioned to transport detained protesters. Delhi Police assigned 7,000 to 8,000 personnel for the operation, with the deployment capable of being increased to 15,000. They were to 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 were scheduled to be available to Delhi Police from October 8 to 12, including five companies of all-women personnel.
Senior police officers said the arrangements followed two “serious lapses” during an earlier protest by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar against the NEET-UG paper leak. According to one officer, police had underestimated the number of protesters and deployed different units and districts at the same location during the July 20 march to Parliament.
Opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu and submitted a memorandum alleging “vote chori” by the Election Commission and the central government. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said a similar memorandum would be submitted to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday. Earlier, a Supreme Court Bench led by the CJI expressed concern over the restrictions and said, “you cannot use a hammer to kill a fly”.
The protest organisers said the demonstration would proceed despite the restrictions. In a communication to Cockroach Janta Party leader Saurav Das, DCP New Delhi District Sachin Sharma said permission for a protest had to account for the rights of residents and other citizens, including concerns over traffic, safety and property. The authorities’ next steps will determine how the restrictions are lifted and whether transport and public services return to normal after the planned protest period.
