Delhi Police is preparing a large security operation ahead of the CJP-AISA protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, with around 23,000 Central Armed Police Forces personnel made available, detention centres being readied across the city and possible restrictions on metro services, cabs, hotels, trains and internet access.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces available to Delhi Police from October 8 to 12, according to officers cited by The Indian Express. The deployment includes five all-women paramilitary companies. Companies are being brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
The scale of the deployment is expected to affect movement well beyond Jantar Mantar. Police are increasing checks at Delhi’s borders and officers said people suspected of attempting to mobilise crowds could be stopped and detained at entry points. Railway authorities have also been contacted to regulate train movement into Delhi for a specified period based on inputs about possible mobilisation from outside the Capital.
Around 10 detention centres are being prepared across districts, officers said. Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana and Chhatrasal Stadium are among the designated facilities being readied for people detained during the protest. Other centres are being prepared in Narela, East Delhi and Northwest Delhi.
The New Delhi district is expected to become a heavily secured zone. Police are coordinating with app-based cab aggregators and have briefed operators about possible restrictions on roads leading into the district. Hotels, guest houses and other accommodation facilities in and around Central Delhi have also been asked to remain shut or restrict fresh bookings for a specified period. Hotel owners in Paharganj, as well as establishments in parts of South and North Delhi, have been briefed, officers said.
The Delhi government’s Excise department has ordered liquor stores across the city to remain closed on October 9 and 10. The order cited Delhi Police inputs and described the closure as a preventive measure to maintain public order.
Around 40 Metro stations in and around sensitive areas could face restrictions or closure, although the final extent of the measures remains subject to the security situation. During the July CJP protest, around 16 Metro stations were shut. Any fresh closures would affect commuters using the central city for work, interchange or access to government and commercial districts.
Police officers have also indicated that internet restrictions may be imposed in areas where detainees are housed to prevent further mobilisation. Similar restrictions could extend to parts of New Delhi and Central Delhi, depending on developments. People recording or livestreaming the protest, including YouTubers and mobile journalists, could face action if police say they obstruct operations, violate restrictions or contribute to unlawful mobilisation. Officers said such people would not automatically be treated as protesters.
Police have asked media organisations to ensure that journalists covering the protest carry and prominently display valid press identification cards at barricades and other sensitive locations. The measures will remain linked to the security arrangements being implemented between October 8 and 12, with further decisions on metro operations, movement restrictions and internet access expected to depend on the situation around the protest.
