Railways cancels trains ahead of 10 October CJP protest, Delhi Police on alert at borders

Indian Railways has decided to cancel Mail and Express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4:00 am and 2:00 pm on 10 October, citing anticipated severe road congestion in the areas around the stations due to a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi, according to sources.

All Mail and Express trains departing from their originating stations after 2:00 pm on 9 October and scheduled to reach New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin between 4:00 am and 2:00 pm on 10 October will be cancelled at their source stations.

The decision was taken in view of intelligence inputs and traffic advisories indicating severe road congestion around the two railway stations during the period.

Sources said the precautionary measure was aimed at ensuring passenger safety and preventing inconvenience due to traffic congestion.

Separately, West Central Railway’s Bhopal division announced the cancellation of train number 22221 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express on 9 October due to operational reasons.

In a notice, the railway administration said the train had been cancelled from its originating station. Passengers scheduled to board the train from Bhopal were advised to plan their journeys accordingly and use official railway information and enquiry services for updates.

The railway administration expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police has heightened vigilance at several borders of the national capital ahead of the protest scheduled for 10 October.

Security has been stepped up at the Ghazipur, Chilla, Tikri, Singhu, Gurugram, Kapashera, Loni and Badarpur borders, with police keeping a close watch on movement in these areas.

This comes ahead of the CJP-proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October over alleged “vote theft”.

However, Delhi Police has denied permission for the proposed CJP protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October over the accountability of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), citing short notice, past non-compliance with directions and concerns related to public safety, law and order and traffic regulation.

Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police Nupur Prasad said an application was received in the New Delhi district on 7 October from Saurabh Das, co-convener of CJP, informing the police about the proposed protest.

“We have received an application from Saurav Das, Co-Convener of Cockroach Janta Party. The application is regarding an intimation for a protest on 10th October at Jantar Mantar. The protest was regarding the accountability of the CEC. This intimation was considered, and it was found that the intimation was given in a very short span of time, whereas as per the prescribed guideline, the intimation has to be received 10 days prior to the protest that is planned. Further, it is also important to mention that on an earlier occasion, when the Cockroach Janta Party was given permission to hold a protest there, they did not follow the lawful directions and did not follow their own undertakings given at that point in time. Therefore, 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; it is not approved,” the Jt CP said.

“It is important to mention that in the New Delhi area, Section 163 of the BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita) is in operation, under which, to maintain public order and safety, a reasonable preventive restriction is in place. It is further important to mention that if anybody violates the provisions of Section 163 of the BNSS, then proper legal action will be taken against them,” she added.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police has proposed closing entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations across the national capital and reducing train frequency at these stations in view of proposed protests scheduled for Saturday (10 October), according to an official communication.

In a letter dated Thursday, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Transport Range, requested the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to take necessary measures at the identified metro stations in view of proposed protests at Jantar Mantar and other locations in New Delhi district, citing the likelihood of unruly crowd movement towards sensitive locations.

The proposed restrictions are scheduled to begin at 9:00 pm on Friday and continue on 10 October until the situation normalises.

The 57 stations identified in the communication 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 police have requested DMRC to issue necessary directions to its concerned officers and staff to implement the proposed measures.

The communication seeks precautionary arrangements in view of the planned protests. The proposed restrictions are to remain in place until the situation normalises.

The letter says Delhi Police has requested/proposed these measures. It does not, by itself, confirm that DMRC has approved or implemented the closures.

CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke on Friday reiterated that the organisation would hold a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 10 October, despite not receiving permission from Delhi Police.

Dipke asserted that the protest would go ahead regardless of whether police permission was granted and said activists were prepared to face arrest.

Questioning the measures taken ahead of the protest, Dipke said, “What is this fear? Why are you this scared? You are scared of the youth in the country. You shut down trains, you shut down metro, what should one do?”

He also questioned the inconvenience caused to passengers, alleging that restrictions on public transport and roads would themselves cause hardship to ordinary people.

“Is Delhi a property of Narendra Modi or Amit Shah? Is this their ancestral property? Is this their paternal property? On one hand, you say that due to the protest, people are facing inconvenience, and on the other hand, you shut down all the metro, you shut down all the railways, you block all the roads. Now, won’t there be inconvenience for people?” he said.

Dipke said CJP activists were prepared to face detention or arrest over the proposed demonstration.

“How many people will they detain? Arrest me, detain me! Saurabh is ready, Ashutosh is ready. Arrest me, detain me!” he said.

Questioning the need for police permission, he referred to Article 19 of the Constitution and said Jantar Mantar was a designated protest site.

“Did Gyanesh Kumar take permission? Before deleting 13 crore votes, did Gyanesh Kumar take permission? The Supreme Court didn’t even give approval for the Form 6 modification. So, when Gyanesh Kumar, without telling anyone, without asking anyone, deletes 13 crore votes, then to protest against him, the constitutional right we have according to Article 19, what is the need for permission?” he said.

Dipke also questioned the Delhi Police’s statement that applications for protests at Jantar Mantar must be submitted at least 10 days in advance, linking the restrictions to the proposed demonstration.

“The government is very serious. I think Narendra Modi and Amit Shah should keep checking their blood pressure. The kind of fear this government is showing,” he said.

Amid strict security preparations across the national capital, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged the citizens to join upcoming 10 October demonstrations at Jantar Mantar while alleging that under the rule of the BJP and Gyanesh Kumar, votes are being deleted on a mass scale.

Kejriwal stated that the Centre is playing with democracy, while alleging that the BJP deleted the votes of those who did not vote for them and instead added fake votes.

“I appeal to all the people across the entire country that the way the BJP government at the Centre is playing with our democracy, people’s votes are being deleted on a mass scale. Those who don’t vote for the BJP have their votes deleted, while fake votes are added. This was happening openly under Gyanesh Kumar,” Arvind Kejriwal told reporters.

AAP national convenor further urged the citizens to join upcoming demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in maximum numbers and emphasised that this is not about any single individual or party but for the whole country.

He said, “The entire country is demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. I appeal to everyone, all citizens across the nation, to gather in maximum numbers at Jantar Mantar. This is not about any single individual or party; it is about the country.”

AAP convenor confirmed his personal plans to take part Kejriwal and urged others to join as well.

“Protest is beginning at Jantar Mantar. I will be going, my entire family will be going, and I urge all of you to join as well,” Arvind Kejriwal added.

These remarks come after the Delhi Police rejected the application seeking permission for a planned demonstration on 10 October regarding the accountability of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), citing short notice, past non-compliance, and prevailing law-and-order concerns.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed authorities to ensure that metro train services are not completely suspended ahead of the 10 October protests in Delhi, asking the Centre to consider regulated operations of metro and other railway services to prevent inconvenience to commuters.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, while hearing a plea challenging restrictions imposed in the national capital, emphasised the distinction between a complete prohibition on movement and regulating public transport in the interest of law and order.

Recording the assurance given by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, the apex court said the authorities would reconsider the restrictions and allow metro trains and other railway services to operate in a suitably regulated manner, keeping in mind the principle of proportionality.

“...there shall be no complete prohibition on the movement of metro trains,” the top court clarified in its order.

The bench further directed the authorities to ensure that their decision on the regulated movement of metro trains and other railway services receives wide publicity so that commuters are informed in advance and further inconvenience is avoided.

“Such a decision shall be given wide publicity to avoid further inconvenience to commuters,” the apex court said.

During the hearing, the CJI expressed concern over the complete closure of metro station entry gates, pointing out that the restrictions affected thousands of people travelling to Delhi from Gurugram, Greater Noida and other parts of the national capital region for work and education.

The bench observed that students, employees and senior citizens depend on public transport for their daily commute and that security measures should not bring movement to a complete halt.

“Solicitor... we are mainly concerned about the complete closure of these metro station entries. We have serious concerns about this. Our concern is not with respect to any protesters or any individual. Our concern is about the hundreds and thousands of commuters who come from Gurugram, Greater Noida, East Delhi and South Delhi to Delhi for their livelihood. They are students, employees and senior citizens who travel by public transport. We are speaking on behalf of the common citizens of this city,” said the CJI.

“The law enforcement authorities are certainly entitled to take regulatory measures. There is no doubt about that. If you want to restrict unruly movement, you can do so, but that does not mean you can bring everything to a halt and leave people without any transport facility. Everybody does not have a car. Everybody does not have access to private transport. People depend on public transport,” the bench further said.

The apex court stressed that while law enforcement authorities were entitled to regulate movement to maintain law and order, such measures must remain proportionate and take into account the rights and needs of the general public.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that he would take its concerns back to the government and that proportionate measures would be considered.

Meanwhile, the bench asked the Centre to take an appropriate decision on reconsidering Jantar Mantar as the designated protest venue and identifying an alternative location, after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured it that the government would consider redesignating the protest site.

The top court was hearing the petitions filed by CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby and other petitioners challenging the curbs imposed by the authorities ahead of the protests.

The apex court’s directions came amid restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the proposed 10 October protests. The bench underscored the need to balance security considerations with the public’s ability to access essential transport services.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter for urgent hearing regarding the restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the 10 October protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Sibal, appearing for Baby, flagged the cancellation of trains to Delhi, closure of metro stations, internet curbs and restrictions on hotel bookings. “What is happening to my country?” he asked.

“All trains have been cancelled, 57 metro stations are shut, people are being denied accommodation in hotels, and Nizamuddin has been closed. RWAs are reportedly being told not to allow people to step out. What is happening to my country? This is a peaceful protest. How can this be allowed to happen?” said Sibal.