Delhi is facing transport restrictions ahead of a proposed demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, with certain Mail and Express trains cancelled and the Delhi Police asking the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to shut 57 stations, according to a report by Mid-Day citing PTI.
The CJP has called the demonstration to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The protest is scheduled to take place at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, with the party seeking to mobilise young people.
According to the report, the Railway Board on Friday cancelled certain Mail and Express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10. The cancellations were reported a day before the planned demonstration and became a central point of dispute between the party and the authorities.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised the train cancellations and restrictions surrounding the protest. “Shut down the entire country if you are scared of the youth,” Dipke told reporters, as reported by PTI.
The Delhi Police denied permission to the CJP for the proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Dipke questioned the decision, saying that the location is a designated protest site and that the government did not need to grant separate permission for a demonstration there, according to the report.
Separately, the Delhi Police urged the DMRC to shut 57 metro stations to prevent young people from travelling to the protest, the information cited in the report stated. The report did not establish whether all 57 stations were subsequently closed or provide details of the stations affected.
The developments place Delhi’s rail and metro networks at the centre of a dispute over the management of public demonstrations. Train cancellations and possible station closures can affect commuters, visitors and protest participants, although the report did not provide an estimate of the number of passengers affected or details of alternative transport arrangements.
The CJP’s demand for the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation is linked to its allegations concerning the SIR exercise. Those allegations were reported as part of the wider political dispute, but were not established or independently verified in the supplied material. The Election Commission’s response was not included in the report.
The immediate next steps are the authorities’ handling of the proposed Jantar Mantar demonstration and the implementation of any rail or metro restrictions associated with it.
