New Delhi: Central Delhi descended into chaos as thousands of protesters swarmed Jantar Mantar for Monday’s Parliament march, with an internet shutdown, closed metro stations and heavy barricading leaving protesters confused and commuters stranded.Five Delhi Metro stations were temporarily shut down on Delhi Police orders. “Due to security reasons, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth metro stations have been closed till further instructions,” DMRC posted on X at 8.59am. Interchange facilities at Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat were also suspended. Of the five stations, these two were the first to reopen their gates.Videos circulating on social media showed protesters and office-goers stuck behind the locked exit gates at Rajiv Chowk Metro station, with many climbing over them despite Metro security personnel attempting to stop them. Those who managed to scale the gates were seen running towards the station’s main exits, while sloganeering was also reported. Similar scenes were witnessed at Janpath Metro station. The station gates were reopened around noon.Adding to the disruption, authorities suspended mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi on govt orders as a precautionary measure. The shutdown, coupled with the huge crowds, left several commuters unable to communicate.While organisers had advised protesters before the march to download offline maps in anticipation of a possible internet shutdown, many found themselves stranded. “We knew there could be internet jammers, but there were no maps or directions. No one was there to guide people to Parliament, and no one knew from where or when the march was supposed to begin,” said Nandika Majumdar, a Delhi University graduate.“There was a lot of confusion and poor crowd management. The overcrowding and pushing created an almost stampede-like situation. There should have been more volunteers or security personnel to manage the crowd,” she added.“When the lathicharge began, everyone started running in different directions. People were falling, and some were injured. There was no clarity on who was leading the march or which route we were supposed to take,” said Pooja, another student who attended the protest.Protesters occupied key stretches, with massive crowds marching alongside moving traffic. Vehicles were forced to halt mid-way. Only a fraction of those who had originally gathered managed to reach there. A group of protesters staged a sit-in just a few metres from Parliament at Rafi Marg, occupying the road before police quickly moved in, rounded up several students and demonstrators, and cleared the area. Some protesters reached the vicinity of the Press Club of India and attempted to move towards Parliament. Some went to Connaught Place’s Central Park, others were scattered and didn’t know where to go, while some ran to the lawns of India Gate.
