Delhi Police has tightened security in Connaught Place ahead of a second consecutive day of INDIA bloc protests seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with police teams deployed near a restaurant where opposition leaders are expected to meet.
According to the report, two Delhi Police teams have been sent to the K-Block area of Connaught Place to secure the Moet’s restaurant and its surroundings. Officials have also prepared for the possible deployment of paramilitary personnel if opposition leaders move towards Jantar Mantar or the Election Commission office.
The exact route of the protest remained unclear. Police said it had not yet been decided whether the leaders would proceed towards Rajghat or Jantar Mantar. The Indian Youth Congress had earlier announced a march from Rajghat, prompting the deployment of security personnel and local staff at the site.
The security arrangements follow a protest on Wednesday, when opposition MPs gathered for lunch at Sagar Ratna in Janpath before travelling towards Jantar Mantar in three buses. The group was stopped near the Le Meridien hotel, and the confrontation reportedly led to clashes between protesters and police. Police subsequently registered first information reports against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The INDIA bloc’s lunch meeting in Connaught Place is being hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Leaders who attended the previous meeting included Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha, along with other alliance MPs.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a strategy to protect democracy and the Constitution. The opposition has been raising questions about the functioning of the Election Commission and has alleged that Gyanesh Kumar is acting at the government’s direction and that transparency within the poll panel is inadequate. These claims are political allegations made by the opposition and were not independently established in the supplied report.
For Connaught Place, the immediate issue is the management of a high-footfall commercial and public area during a politically significant demonstration. The police response is expected to depend on the route chosen by the leaders and whether the gathering moves towards Jantar Mantar, Rajghat or the Election Commission office. Authorities had not publicly finalised the route at the time of the report.
