NEW DELHI: Delhi continues to remain on edge on Wednesday as the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest entered its third day, with 16 Delhi Metro stations shut, commuters stranded, heavy security deployment, traffic congestion around Mandi House and Parliament proceedings disrupted once again.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) closed 16 stations till further notice citing “security reasons”, triggering chaos during the morning rush hour and forcing hundreds of office-goers, students and other commuters to change routes midway, exit at unfamiliar stations and scramble for alternative transport.For many, it was the second such disruption within a week after a similar shutdown on Monday.Passengers said trains continued to run on several stretches but skipped closed stations, leaving them with little option but to travel further before retracing their journey by road.Long queues were seen outside operational stations as commuters booked cabs, searched for buses and checked navigation apps to find alternate routes.Videos shared by news agency PTI showed frustrated passengers questioning officials after being held inside Mandi House Metro station for over 30 minutes.“Who will be responsible if we lose our jobs?” one commuter asked. Others were heard saying, “We have been stuck here for more than half an hour”, “What is the sense of all this?”, “Tell us who should we talk to”, and “Let us talk to the responsible officer”, while another remarked, “Mera to office bhi yahi hai (My office is nearby).”Vrinda, a commuter travelling through Central Secretariat, told PTI that protesters had gathered near the station premises, creating 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 informed commuters that they would not be allowed to deboard between Delhi Gate and Khan Market.“We were not allowed to get down from Delhi Gate Metro to Khan Market Metro. People are getting stranded here without any prior notice. It is utter chaos,” the commuter said.The affected stations are 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.Interchange facilities remained available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.Traffic movement was also affected around Mandi House and adjoining central Delhi areas as security was tightened around the protest site and Parliament. Visuals from the area showed long traffic queues and a heavy police presence outside Mandi House Metro station.Meanwhile, protesters continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar, with CJP reiterating that it would not end the agitation until Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.Addressing supporters, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka urged protesters to stick to only four slogans: “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Jai Bheem” and “Dharmendra Pradhan Istifa Do”, alleging attempts were being made to create a negative narrative around the movement.Ranka also warned that the July 20 Parliament march was “only a trailer” and claimed the organisation was prepared to face legal action, including arrests under the UAPA and NSA, while maintaining that the protest would remain peaceful.The heightened security also spilled over into Parliament, where proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2pm amid continued protests by Opposition MPs over alleged NEET irregularities and the police action against student demonstrators.MPs from the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav, wore black and staged a protest demanding Pradhan’s resignation.The latest disruption comes two days after the CJP’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march witnessed clashes between protesters and police near Parliament.Delhi Police has since registered multiple FIRs in connection with the violence and alleged vandalism, while the CJP has accused the police of using excessive force during the crackdown.
