Security barricades erected across roads leading to Central Delhi for a protest on Saturday prevented several daily-wage and other workers from reaching construction sites, shops and cafes, leaving some without a day’s earnings, according to The Hindu’s report from the affected areas.
The restrictions were imposed ahead of a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. As Delhi turned into a heavily secured zone, multiple layers of barricades were placed on roads leading towards Central Delhi. Police personnel at several points reportedly asked commuters for government identity cards and stopped those who could not provide the required documents or permission to proceed.
Around 9.30 a.m., Ram Kishan Mandal, 36, was stopped near a barricade leading to India Gate while travelling to a construction site in Central Delhi. He told The Hindu that police officers said the workers did not have a permit to proceed. Although their employer asked them to walk to the site, the group was still not allowed through.
Mr. Mandal, who is from Katihar district in Bihar, said his house had been destroyed in a recent flood and that his wife and children were living under a tarpaulin roof. He said missing a day of work would affect his ability to rebuild the house and meet the family’s immediate needs.
Another group of construction workers was stopped near Nizamuddin, even though their workplace was reportedly located across a flyover about 50 metres away. Mukesh Chauhan, 47, an electrician travelling to a central Delhi work site on his motorbike, said he would lose his daily payment if he could not reach work. He told the newspaper that he earns about ₹9,000 a month and had already spent ₹100 on petrol for the journey.
The barricades also affected workers employed in retail and hospitality. Devender Chauhan, 41, said his wife, who was wearing her cafe uniform, was stopped while travelling to work. He said he was expected to open an advertising company’s shop in Khan Market because he had the main key, but that alternative routes were also closed. After repeated requests, his wife was eventually allowed to walk about two kilometres to her workplace.
The reported disruption highlights how movement restrictions imposed around high-security events can affect workers whose employment depends on physical access and daily attendance. Unlike salaried employees who may have some scope to work remotely or absorb a delayed commute, construction labourers, electricians, cafe staff and other daily earners can lose income when a road closure prevents them from reaching a job site.
P.V. Aniyan, secretary of CITU (Delhi), said daily-wage and gig workers in Central Delhi and nearby areas were among those worst affected. He said their earnings for the day had been completely disrupted and that authorities should consider the consequences before imposing such blockades.
The Hindu’s report also records a worker’s reference to an earlier period when Khan Market was barricaded during a protest at Jantar Mantar in June and July. The immediate restrictions described in Saturday’s report were linked to the security arrangements for the current protest. No broader exemption or access protocol for workers was identified in the supplied report.
