New Delhi was brought to a near standstill as opposition-led protests demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process prompted a massive security response from the central government.

Around 35,000 police personnel, Rapid Action Force (RAF) members and paramilitary forces were deployed across a five-kilometre area surrounding Jantar Mantar, where a protest was held on Saturday, October 10. Authorities erected seven layers of barricades and installed 3,000 CCTV cameras in the area.

According to a report by Prothom Alo, 45 Delhi Metro stations remained closed from Friday night through Saturday. In addition, the journeys of 250 long-distance trains bound for Delhi were cancelled.

Allegations also emerged that hundreds of passengers travelling to Delhi from different states to join the protest were removed from trains and detained in BJP-ruled states.

Internet services were suspended in the key Lutyens’ Delhi area of the capital from Saturday morning. The report said the move was intended to prevent live broadcasts of the demonstrations.

Despite the extensive security arrangements, protesters who gathered were detained and taken to various stadiums that had been prepared in advance as temporary detention centres.

The Prothom Alo report said the central government had made extensive preparations to prevent the protest and ultimately succeeded in disrupting the programme. However, the measures sparked debate over their justification and the protection of democratic rights.

Source: Prothom Alo