Connaught Place traffic restrictions intensified in New Delhi on Thursday as Delhi Police deployed large security contingents and closed major roads around the central business district during the fourth day of a protest led by Rahul Gandhi against the Chief Election Commissioner, according to a report by Jagran.
The report said 300 companies of paramilitary forces, along with police personnel brought in from Delhi and other states, were deployed in and around Connaught Place. Drones were also being used for surveillance. Roads including Tolstoy Marg, Janpath and Parliament Street were reportedly barricaded, while access routes towards Jantar Mantar were closed to vehicles and pedestrians.
The security measures affected movement through the New Delhi district and caused traffic queues on roads leading into and out of Connaught Place. According to the report, the outer circle of Connaught Place was sealed with barricades from around noon, preventing vehicles from entering the area. People were also reportedly stopped from proceeding on foot towards protest-related locations.
Delhi Police issued a warning that people attempting to gather or raise slogans anywhere in the New Delhi district could be detained, the report said. Security arrangements on Thursday were described as stricter than those in place on Wednesday, with police tightening checks at Delhi’s borders and restricting the entry of people from outside the city.
The deployment included temporary detention facilities in each of Delhi’s outer districts. The report said four such centres had been arranged in every outer district to hold protesters if detentions were made. The move reflects the operational scale of managing a large political gathering in a tightly regulated central zone, where road closures can quickly affect access to offices, retail areas, public institutions and transport connections.
Movement was also restricted beyond Mandi House, according to the report. People who had already entered Connaught Place during the morning were reportedly allowed to leave, while fresh entry was blocked as the security perimeter expanded. Police vehicles, including water-cannon vehicles, were positioned on several roads as authorities prepared for further gatherings during the day.
The restrictions have placed the burden of the security response on ordinary road users, including commuters travelling through central Delhi. Connaught Place functions as a major commercial, employment and transport hub, so closures around its outer roads can divert traffic to adjoining routes and delay journeys well beyond the immediate protest area.
The report also linked Thursday’s deployment to security planning based on an earlier protest, during which 200 companies of paramilitary forces were reportedly deployed. Police officials cited in the report said the heightened security arrangements were expected to continue in the coming days. The next operational milestone will depend on the continuation of the protest and the Delhi Police decision on road access and security restrictions in the New Delhi district.
