Delhi Police has imposed prohibitory orders on gatherings at Rajghat after Congress and other INDIA bloc leaders announced plans to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and pay tributes at the memorial on Thursday, October 8.
Security was stepped up around Rajghat as opposition leaders travelled from Moets restaurant in Connaught Place. INDIA bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi were expected to reach the memorial in three buses after lunch, according to the report. The restrictions have been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, officials said.
Police said the measures were intended to prevent gatherings and possible attempts by protesters to move towards sensitive areas in Central Delhi. The deployment comes after several days of demonstrations by Congress and other Opposition parties, which have demanded Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The protests have repeatedly resulted in confrontations with the police. Opposition MPs were detained on Tuesday and Wednesday after their marches were stopped. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among the leaders detained after police intercepted a march near Windsor Place. Priyanka Gandhi was seen lying on the road with a copy of the Constitution, while Rahul Gandhi told supporters that the Opposition would continue its protest until Kumar resigned.
The latest restrictions affect one of Delhi’s most prominent public memorial spaces and come as the police manage the possibility of several protest groups moving through Central Delhi rather than a single fixed demonstration. Officials have also increased security outside the BJP headquarters, citing the possibility of scattered demonstrations in different parts of the area.
Police personnel from several stations, the Delhi Police Reserve Battalion and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the affected areas. Barricades have been placed at key points to prevent protesters from entering restricted zones. The arrangements are aimed at controlling movement around Rajghat and other sensitive locations while the demonstrations continue.
The immediate administrative challenge is to secure protected sites and regulate protest-related movement across a dense central district with multiple political offices, memorials and major roads. The restrictions under Section 163 and the additional deployment indicate that police are preparing for mobile gatherings rather than only managing access to Rajghat itself.
The next steps will depend on the movement of the opposition leaders and groups expected to assemble in Central Delhi. Police deployment and barricading are expected to remain in place around Rajghat, the BJP headquarters and other sensitive points while the protests over the electoral-roll revision continue.
