20 stations shut down, max since Metro services began in 2002
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro shut the entry and exit gates at as many as 20 stations across the city on Thursday on the instructions of the Delhi Police as protests against the Citizenship (Amendement) Act, or CAA, peaked in parts of central and Old Delhi.
Rajiv Chowk, the second biggest interchange station in the Delhi Metro subway network was shut for some time on Thursday. A total of 249 metro stations are situated in Delhi under DMRC’s operations. The DMRC opened its first line in December 2002.
“As a precautionary measure amid protests, Delhi Metro had to close the gates of a few metro stations on Thursday. The safety of our passengers and the security of metro property is paramount to us and we have to ensure the same as per the advice given by the authorities,” DMRC said in a statement.
By mid-morning, the number of stations shut -- this meant no one could get off or on at these stations, and their gates were shut -increased, with most being in Old and central Delhi. DMRC also shut the Munirka and Vasant Vihar stations, the closest to Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The stations shut were: Rajiv Chowk, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jasola Vihar-Shaheen Bagh, Munirka, Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid, Vishwavidyalaya, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Barakhamba, Janpath, Delhi Gate, Khan Market, Pragati Maidan, Lok Kalyan Marg, ITO, Mandi House, Vasant Vihar and Central Secretariat.
According to the metro officials, Thursday’s shutdown was the longest in terms of duration and also involved the most stations . An official at DMRC said on condition of anonymity that even at the peak of the anti-corruption agitation in 2011, the company did not have to close down as many metro stations as it did on Thursday.
The closures followed a pattern that has set in over the last few months.
Be it tJNU students demanding a roll back of a hostel fee hike, Delhi University teachers demanding regularisation of ad-hoc staff, or the ongoing protests against CAA, each time protesters have hit the streets, the Delhi Metro has been told to shut stations.
Since September, the Delhi Metro has shut stations at least 15 times owing to protests. This is apart from the times stations were shut on account of VIP movement/events or for some specific public holidays.
According to DMRC officials, it has restricted entry and exit in five to six Metro stations each day over the past five days on the directions of the Delhi Police owing to the anti-CAA protests.
Under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), police are authorised to shut buildings and restrict public movement when deemed necessary, and in the case of risk to public safety and security.