Overview
- The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed 18 central Delhi stations on Friday, with the New Delhi station added hours after an initial list of 17 and its interchange functions suspended until further notice.
- The DMRC said the shutdowns were security measures tied to the large Cockroach Janta Party student protest at Jantar Mantar and will remain in force until authorities give new instructions.
- Police used intermittent crowd-control tactics near the protest site, including reported tear gas and lathi charges, while thousands of students continued to gather and reach the site on foot.
- Commuters and civic groups pushed back, with the Supreme Court Bar Association raising access problems to the court and the Public Transport Forum calling the blanket closures unacceptable for democratic dissent.
- The disruption has forced long marches, volunteer medical support for protesters, Cabinet movement on a Paper Leak Amendment Bill and ongoing talks between the Centre and protest leaders, signalling parallel political and legal responses.