NEW DELHI: A total of 16 Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Mandi House, were closed from Wednesday morning till late evening due to ‘security reasons’, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a social media post.
Thousands of commuters were stranded for around eight hours amid the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar that saw greater participation on Wednesday in comparison to Tuesday. All the Metro stations were reopened for commuters, as per an DMRC update at around 6:30 pm.
The list of closed Metro stations include Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh and Shivaji Stadium.
In a later update, the DMRC added the Jhandewalan Metro station to the list of closed Metro stations. According to a post by the DMRC on X, “Due to security reasons... the Metro stations have been closed till further instructions.” The exit gates of the stations were opened in the evening.
The interchange facilities
at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat were, however, available, the post mentioned. Opposition leaders slammed the BJP-led government, saying it should have addressed the students instead of closing Metro stations.
For many commuters, it was the second major disruption within a week after a similar shutdown on Monday. Passengers said trains continued to run on several stretches but skipped the closed stations, forcing them to travel beyond their destinations and retrace their journey by road.
Vrinda, a commuter travelling through Central Secretariat, said the protesters had gathered near the station premises, leading to confusion among passengers.
“The Central Secretariat Metro station was taken over by protesters. Several of them had gathered near the exit and were chanting Vande Mataram. There was a lot of uncertainty, and people did not know whether they would be able to leave the station,” she said.
Another passenger travelling on the Yellow Line said announcements inside the train informed commuters that they would not be allowed to disembark at the stations between Delhi Gate and Khan Market. “We were not allowed to get off the train between Delhi Gate and Khan Market. People are getting stranded here without any prior notice. It is utter chaos,” he said.