Delhi Police Refuse CJP Permission for October 10 Protest, 57 Metro Stations Likely To Be Shut

Delhi Police have denied permission for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 over the accountability of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing short notice, past non-compliance with directions and concerns about public safety, law and order and traffic.

Joint Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad said the police received an application on October 7 from Saurav Das, co-convener of the CJP, informing them of the protest.

WHY PERMISSION WAS REFUSED

The intimation came at very short notice, she said, whereas guidelines require it 10 days before a protest. She also said that when the CJP was given permission to protest at the site earlier, “they did not follow the lawful directions and did not follow their own undertakings given at that point in time.” She did not say which protest she meant.

“Because of not following the legal directions, their own undertaking, and the prevalent law and order situation, and to maintain public safety, law and order, and traffic regulation, this time the permission is rejected,” she said.

Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allows preventive restrictions to maintain public order, is in force in the New Delhi area. “If anybody violates the provisions of Section 163 of the BNSS, then proper legal action will be taken against them,” she said.

METRO CURBS PROPOSED

Separately, Delhi Police have proposed closing entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations and reducing train frequency there, according to an official communication.

In a letter dated Thursday, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Transport Range, asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to act, citing the likelihood of “unruly crowd movement towards sensitive locations.”

The measures would begin at 9 pm on Friday and continue on October 10 until the situation normalises. The stations include Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Janpath, New Delhi, Mandi House, ITO, Supreme Court, Indraprastha, Kashmere Gate, Karol Bagh, INA, Hauz Khas, Lajpat Nagar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Seelampur, Welcome, Shahdara, Rithala, Rohini East and Rohini West, among others.

The letter is a request. It does not confirm that the DMRC has approved or implemented the closures.

TRAINS CANCELLED, BORDERS ON ALERT

Indian Railways has decided to cancel Mail and Express trains due to reach New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10, citing expected severe road congestion around the stations because of the CJP’s protest, according to sources.

Trains that leave their originating stations after 2 pm on October 9 and are scheduled to arrive in that window will be cancelled at their source stations.

Sources said the decision followed intelligence inputs and traffic advisories, and was meant to protect passengers and avoid inconvenience.

Delhi Police have also stepped up vigilance at the capital’s borders, including Ghazipur, Chilla, Tikri, Singhu, Gurugram, Kapashera, Loni and Badarpur, and are closely watching movement there.

Separately, West Central Railway’s Bhopal division cancelled the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (22221) on October 9 for “operational reasons.” That cancellation was not linked to the protest in the notice.

POLICE WARN OF LEGAL ACTION

Joint Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad warned that Section 163 of the BNSS, which bars any gathering or demonstration, remains in force across the New Delhi district. “If any gathering occurs, or if any incident of public property destruction or vandalism takes place, appropriate legal action will be taken,” she said.

Responding to questions about clashes and unruly behaviour directed at on-duty personnel during recent protests, Prasad said permission is granted strictly for peaceful demonstrations.

“We are here to facilitate you so that you can conclude your protest peacefully and voice your views,” she said.

“If you attack us, you disrupt the peace. We come from among you, and we exist for your safety and security.”

Protesting, she added, “is not an exclusive right of any single individual or group; it belongs to everyone.”

THE CJP’S RESPONSE

CJP co-convener Das questioned why police permission is needed at Jantar Mantar, calling it a designated protest site and a historic place where protests are held peacefully.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that Chandrapur police had pressured activists to avoid the Delhi protest. The party has announced a youth-led protest over alleged “vote theft.”

HEAVY SECURITY

Delhi is preparing for heightened security. The Hindustan Times reported that about 11,000 more paramilitary personnel are being deployed, taking the number of central force personnel in the capital to nearly 26,000, one of the largest deployments since the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

Other reports mention drones, hotel and guest-house checks, detention facilities and the cancellation of some trains into New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations.

The refusal follows a week of protests over the SIR. Hundreds were detained at Jantar Mantar on October 2 and 3, and opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, were detained during their march to the Election Commission on October 6.

The Delhi High Court has declined to list urgently a plea by the Indian Youth Congress against a police refusal of permission for a separate Jantar Mantar protest, and will hear it on Monday.

With inputs from ANI