Delhi security restrictions tightened across Lutyens’ Delhi on Wednesday as opposition INDIA bloc MPs and supporters prepared to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar, with police, the Rapid Action Force, the Central Industrial Security Force and other central security personnel deployed across key roads and access points.
The Jantar Mantar area was sealed with multiple layers of barricading, while routes connecting the protest site with Tolstoy Marg, Kerala House and Parliament Street were blocked. The restrictions affected both vehicles and pedestrians, with police buses and other vehicles kept on standby for detentions and crowd-control operations, according to a report by Live Hindustan – Ranchi, with PTI input.
The security operation followed a series of opposition actions the previous day, including a march towards the Election Commission and a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan. The report said several opposition MPs were detained during those actions. Delhi Police also registered first information reports against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders for allegedly entering a restricted premises without permission, the report said.
Jantar Mantar Road was blocked from both sides with heavy double-layered and welded barricades. Entry points on Tolstoy Marg leading towards Jantar Mantar were barricaded, while the approach from Kerala House was blocked by Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force. The security cordon extended from Janpath Metro station towards Parliament Street, preventing access to the main protest area.
Banners announcing the imposition of restrictions under Section 163 were displayed at some barricading points. The report also said a large number of buses were parked on Janpath, adding to the restrictions around one of central Delhi’s most heavily used public and institutional zones.
The deployment included Delhi Police, the Rapid Action Force, the Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Officials used metal and welded barricades to prevent protesters from moving towards the Election Commission building. The report said clashes broke out after some demonstrators attempted to cross the security cordon.
Police began detaining Congress workers near the Jantar Mantar roundabout when a bus carrying Rahul Gandhi reached the area, according to the report. Workers who were raising slogans in front of the bus were taken into custody individually, while several police buses were positioned nearby.
The restrictions placed Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street, Ashoka Road, Tolstoy Marg and nearby approaches under heightened security control. For commuters, the measures meant blocked pedestrian routes, altered access to public roads and restricted movement around Janpath Metro station and the central government district. The report did not provide a timeline for when the barricades or restrictions would be removed.
