Delhi Metro entry and exit gates at 45 stations will remain closed until 10pm on Saturday as security agencies respond to the Cockroach Janta Party’s planned protest in the national capital, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said in a revised service update.
The gates were earlier scheduled to reopen at 6pm, but DMRC extended the restrictions by four hours following a request from Delhi Police. The restrictions were imposed because of anticipated crowd movement towards sensitive locations connected with the demonstration.
DMRC said the situation would be reviewed by security agencies and that further updates would be issued accordingly. The advisory affects entry and exit facilities at several high-use stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Janpath, Mandi House, ITO, Kashmere Gate and New Delhi.
The restrictions began at 9pm on Friday, ahead of the protest. On Friday, DMRC had revised its earlier advisory and reduced the number of stations covered by entry and exit restrictions from 57 to 45.
Train operations and interchange arrangements at the affected stations were treated separately under the earlier advisory. Interchange facilities were allowed at the affected stations, except at New Delhi Metro station. Commuters using the network were therefore required to check the latest DMRC update before planning journeys involving central Delhi and key interchange points.
The protest was called by the Cockroach Janta Party, which is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party has accused the CEC of masterminding voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and of irregularities involving Form 6, the document used for voter registration. These allegations were cited as the stated basis for the demonstration.
The station restrictions illustrate how security planning for large protests can affect the functioning of Delhi’s mass-transit network, particularly when access points are located near government offices, administrative districts and other sensitive areas. In this case, DMRC’s revised coverage was narrower than the original 57-station advisory, but still included some of the network’s busiest and most strategically located stations.
DMRC said the restrictions would remain in force until 10pm on Saturday, subject to review by security agencies. Further changes to station access were to be communicated through subsequent service updates.
