A protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation disrupted movement across central Delhi on Friday, with more than 700 people detained, 12 metro stations closed and traffic diverted around Jantar Mantar and Lutyens’ Delhi.
The demonstration was called by opposition groups alleging irregularities in the special revision of electoral rolls and large-scale deletion of voters’ names. Police had not permitted the protest, and Section 144 was imposed in the New Delhi district before demonstrators attempted to reach Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission office.
Police stopped the protesters near Ashoka Road using barricades. Among those detained were former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Anurag Dhanda, Kuldeep Kumar and Jarnail Singh. Workers from the Congress youth organisations Indian Youth Congress and NSUI, along with members of student groups including SFI and AISA, also tried to reach the protest site.
Security personnel were deployed from the morning at several access points, including RML Hospital, Gol Dak Khana, the SBI building, Kerala House, Janpath and Mandi House. Anti-riot vehicles and vehicles equipped for firing tear gas were positioned near Jantar Mantar. Police prevented pedestrians from using some routes and redirected them through alternate roads. The report also describes several instances of pushing between police and protesters as groups attempted to move towards the site.
The restrictions affected Delhi Metro services across the central city. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, Seva Tirth, Mandi House, Lok Kalyan Marg, INA, Chawri Bazar, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg and New Delhi stations in the morning. Barakhamba Road station was also closed at around noon, taking the total number of affected stations to 12.
Passengers were not allowed to enter or exit the closed stations. Interchange facilities remained available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, INA, New Delhi and Central Secretariat for part of the day. The interchange facility at New Delhi railway station was stopped from around 2.15 pm, adding to the disruption for passengers using the metro and the railway station.
Road movement was also affected by barricading and closures on Ashoka Road, Janpath Road and Parliament Street. Vehicles were diverted to alternate routes, causing delays across Lutyens’ Delhi. The restrictions affected both people travelling towards central government offices and passengers attempting to reach commercial, institutional and transport hubs in the New Delhi area.
The protest call followed allegations by opposition organisations that the electoral-roll revision had resulted in irregularities and the deletion of voters. Police deployment and route restrictions were focused on preventing access to Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission office. The report did not provide details on how long the metro closures or road diversions would continue after the protest.
