NEW DELHI: What began as an ordinary Monday morning commute descended into confusion, frustration and spontaneous protest as the city’s Metro network around Jantar Mantar ground to a halt.
By 7 am, Mandi House Metro station resembled a railway platform during the Diwali rush. Commuters packed the concourse, only to discover that exit gates had been shut without warning.
Similar scenes unfolded across central Delhi after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) closed Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Seva Teerth and other stations over security concerns ahead of the CJP march to Parliament.
Barakhamba Road was one of the few operational stations in the area.For the commuters, the disruption turned into a prolonged ordeal. Many remained stranded inside stations for hours. At Patel Chowk, the area outside the station was heavily barricaded, while trains skipped stops at Rajiv Chowk, leaving passengers scrambling to find alternative routes.
The confusion soon gave way to anger. Inside several stations, passengers raised slogans, climbed over barricades and metal detectors, and demanded to be let out.
Metro concourses, designed to move people efficiently, became unexpected sites of protest. People arriving from New Delhi Railway Station, interstate bus terminals and the airport found their usual routes blocked and were forced to walk long distances or rely on buses, auto-rickshaws and cabs.
The shutdown also exposed unexpected logistical hurdles. With mobile signal jammers reportedly affecting digital transactions near the high-security zone, many ticket counters accepted only cash. Long queues formed as commuters who normally relied on UPI payments scrambled for currency, adding another layer of delay to an already chaotic morning.
