Railway cancellations and restrictions around Delhi have disrupted travel for protesters ahead of a planned demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, prompting NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar to ask those unable to reach the capital to join a parallel protest in Pune on October 10 and 11.
The Ministry of Railways has cancelled mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10. The ministry described the cancellations as a precautionary measure because of heavy road traffic expected near the stations.
Two Rajdhani trains departing from Mumbai Central have been rescheduled by five hours, while the Bandra Terminus–Hazrat Nizamuddin Express has been cancelled, according to the report. The changes affect passengers travelling from Maharashtra to Delhi during the period of the proposed protest.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita are also in force in New Delhi district, restricting the assembly of people and related activity in the area.
In a statement reported by The Indian Express, Pawar said people from Maharashtra who were unable to travel to Delhi should join the protest by Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants in Pune. He described the Pune gathering as a local continuation of the wider political mobilisation and appealed to citizens and supporters from different fields to participate over the following two days.
Pawar and other Opposition leaders have been protesting in Pune with MPSC aspirants for the past nine days. The students are opposing what they allege are malpractices in government recruitment examinations and are demanding the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar.
The dispute also involves the limits of the state government’s authority. The Maharashtra government has said that the MPSC chairperson holds a constitutional post and that it can recommend Bhimanwar’s removal to the Governor but cannot remove him directly.
The developments place transport operations, public-order restrictions and the administration of political gatherings in the same frame. For passengers, the immediate impact is a combination of cancelled services, delayed trains and restrictions on arrival points in Delhi. For the protesters, the restrictions have shifted part of the planned mobilisation towards Pune, where the MPSC students’ agitation is continuing.
The reported Delhi protest was scheduled for October 10, while Pawar called for participation in the Pune protest on October 10 and 11. The railway cancellations and rescheduling apply to services due to reach the two Delhi stations during the specified morning window.
