Delhi Metro stations were fully reopened on Saturday night after 45 stations remained closed for about 25 hours because of security arrangements linked to a protest by the CJP against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said entry and exit gates had been opened across the network and interchange facilities had resumed at the affected stations.
The restrictions began at 9 pm on Friday ahead of a protest organised by the CJP at Jantar Mantar. The reopening, initially expected at 6 pm on Saturday, was later extended to 10 pm before DMRC announced that normal movement had been restored.
In its Saturday night notice, DMRC said, “All the entry and exit gates of all stations of the Delhi Metro network are now open. Interchange facility has also been started at the concerned Metro stations.” The announcement restored access to major stations including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Janpath, Mandi House, ITO, Kashmere Gate and New Delhi.
The affected stations are among the network’s most important interchange and central-city access points. Their closure disrupted connections between multiple Metro corridors and affected passengers travelling towards government offices, railway facilities, commercial areas and central Delhi. The restrictions also limited access to stations that normally distribute large volumes of passengers through interchange points.
The security measures were imposed in connection with the planned Jantar Mantar protest. The report said more than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in New Delhi before the demonstration. Several layers of barricading were installed, while checks were intensified at Delhi’s border entry points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations.
The large security deployment and restrictions also affected road traffic across the capital. According to police sources cited in the report, more than 7,000 protesters were detained in Delhi on Saturday, including over 2,000 in the New Delhi area. The report said the protest mobilisation at Jantar Mantar was unsuccessful amid the heavy police presence.
The disruption highlighted the dependence of Delhi’s daily movement system on the Metro’s central interchanges. When stations such as Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and New Delhi are closed together, passengers may face longer road journeys, additional transfers and reduced access to major public institutions and transport hubs. The impact extends beyond the closed stations because network-wide interchange movements are affected.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the capital would not be allowed to be held hostage and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal of attempting to turn Delhi into a battleground with the CJP. These political allegations were part of the response to the protest and were not independently assessed in the report.
With DMRC’s announcement, entry, exit and interchange facilities at the affected stations were restored. The corporation’s reopening notice marked the end of the temporary Metro restrictions imposed for the security operation.
