Security tightened in Delhi ahead of Opposition's march to Supreme Court today

Traffic restrictions are set to begin from 6am, with commuters advised to avoid non-essential travel through central and New Delhi.

Security will remain heightened across Lutyens’ Delhi on Monday, with the Opposition calling for a march from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Jantar Mantar and several approach roads remained barricaded on Sunday as police prepared for the proposed demonstration. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

The march comes after two consecutive days of heightened security and detentions across Delhi. Police have barricaded roads leading to Jantar Mantar and deployed personnel at key intersections to prevent protesters from gathering at the designated protest site.

Traffic Restrictions and Commuter Advisory

The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory late on Sunday, warning of traffic disruptions across New Delhi and central Delhi. Diversions and traffic restrictions will come into effect from 6am, depending on the situation on the ground.

The traffic police advised commuters to avoid non-essential travel and plan their journeys in advance, particularly those travelling to railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) and the airport through New Delhi and central Delhi.

“The extent of restrictions on Monday will depend on the assessment of the situation and the movement of protesters” an officer said.

Metro Services and Office Plans

Metro services continued to operate on Sunday. However, there was no official information available till Sunday evening on whether services would be restricted or altered on Monday. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had shut 45 metro stations on Saturday.

Government and private offices are scheduled to remain open on Monday, with no announcement of a general holiday. However, employees and commuters travelling to offices in and around Lutyens’ Delhi may face diversions, traffic congestion and delays if the security deployment is extended along the proposed march route, a traffic police officer said.

Security Deployment and Protest Plans

On Sunday, Jantar Mantar and its approach roads remained barricaded, with personnel deployed at key intersections across central Delhi. The New Delhi district continued to be divided into 20 zones, each headed by an officer of deputy commissioner of police rank, while barricades remained in place at 37 identified points to prevent protesters from entering restricted areas.

The security measures followed Saturday’s crackdown, when around 41,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed across the Capital and more than 7,000 people were detained as authorities moved to prevent a planned protest at Jantar Mantar.

Four former chief ministers and leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical political movement, were among those detained.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said he, Saurav Das and Ranta Singh would visit Parliament Street Police Station to seek permission to hold a protest for a day. The INC also announced plans for a march on Monday afternoon.