Delhi Metro services were disrupted across 45 stations on October 10 after the network closed the stations for security reasons during a protest called at Jantar Mantar, while the Aam Aadmi Party accused the Centre of creating an atmosphere of fear and suppressing non-violent dissent.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said in an advisory that 45 stations would remain closed from 9 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday. Trains were also cancelled as security arrangements were put in place around the planned demonstration. A separate report cited the deployment of 23,000 security personnel in the city.
The protest was called by the Cockroach Janata Party and various youth organisations. The organisers were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of “vote theft”. The allegations were referred to in the political statements reported by The Hindu; the supplied report does not include a response from the Election Commission or the central government.
Several protesters travelling to Jantar Mantar were detained by the police, according to the report. The detentions and restrictions on public transport became the basis for criticism from AAP leaders, who said the security response had affected the wider city beyond the protest site.
AAP MLA Gopal Rai described the measures as a “black emergency” and alleged that metro stations had been shut and trains cancelled to protect one individual. “Instead of removing CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the Centre has declared a black emergency in the country. Today, to protect Kumar, you have turned Delhi into a cantonment,” Mr. Rai told reporters.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said protesters wanted to raise their concerns non-violently and called for engagement with young people. “You can not make Gen-Z keep quiet by force; these are our youth, talk to them, engage with them,” he said in a video message. He also said the party believed in non-violence and the Constitution of India.
The disruption placed Delhi’s metro system, the city’s principal high-capacity public transport network, at the centre of the security response. Closing stations can affect daily travel well beyond the location of a demonstration, particularly when commuters depend on interchange points and train services to reach work, education, hospitals and other destinations. The report does not provide details of passenger numbers affected, alternative transport arrangements or the specific stations that were closed.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had said on Friday that he and his family would attend the protest and urged young people to join him. The Delhi Metro advisory stated that the affected stations would reopen by 6 p.m. on October 10, making the restoration of normal services the next operational milestone reported in the source material.
