The Connaught Place protest march left one of Delhi’s busiest commercial districts unusually quiet on October 16, with shops and restaurants shut or nearly empty, Central Park closed and traders and transport workers reporting sharp losses before the event was due to begin.
Less than 30 minutes before the Cockroach Janta Party’s Tiranga March at Central Park, Rapid Action Force personnel and Delhi Police officers were deployed near the park. Central Industrial Security Force personnel were also making occasional rounds inside Connaught Place’s inner circle, while buses occupied one side of the road and barricades narrowed the other.
Vehicular movement was still allowed when the Indian Express visited the market, although people in the area expected traffic restrictions to increase as the march approached. The security arrangements and closure of the park had already affected movement through the market, where the usual customer activity had largely disappeared.
At a Woodland store, owner Kapil Nath, 42, said the market had mostly been reduced to protesters, shopkeepers, media personnel and police personnel. Nath, who has run the shop in Connaught Place for more than four decades, said October, November and December account for 70 per cent of his business because of winter shopping, weddings and festivals.
He said the uncertainty around the protest had made it difficult to keep the shop open while ensuring the safety and movement of staff. According to Nath, employees may not be able to enter or leave easily if the protest intensifies, and families may avoid bringing children to the market during such disruptions.
At another footwear shop, Nirmal Kumar said he had been uncertain until the morning whether to open. He reported that not a single customer had visited the shop by the afternoon. Kumar also referred to disruptions since August, saying that restrictions on internet access had affected people’s ability to make payments, according to the report.
The impact extended beyond retailers. Near Palika Bazaar, auto-rickshaw driver Umesh Sharma, 52, said he had earned only Rs 100 after spending Rs 500 on CNG since morning. He had travelled from Laxmi Nagar to Connaught Place, but with fewer people entering the market, there were fewer passengers to ferry.
The market was not entirely empty. Office employees were seen taking post-lunch walks, while groups of students moved through the bylanes. Some people sitting near Central Park were trying to determine when the march would start, reflecting uncertainty over the timing among those still in the area.
Large white banners at the entrance to Central Park announced that the park would remain closed on October 16 and October 17. The notices stated that no entry would be allowed and warned that legal action would follow if anyone entered. The closure, combined with the police deployment, buses and barricades, altered access to a major public space and the commercial district around it.
The immediate disruption has placed the burden of the event on businesses, workers and visitors who depend on Connaught Place’s daily footfall. Further restrictions on road movement and access to Central Park were expected as the march approached, while the park’s closure was scheduled to continue the following day.
