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Authorities in India's capital have closed six metro stations and announced traffic restrictions ahead of an opposition march to the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in voter lists.
Mariyam Adheela
New Delhi: Authorities in New Delhi closed six metro stations on Monday as opposition parties prepared to march to the Supreme Court to protest changes to India’s voter lists and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that entry and exit at six central Delhi stations would remain closed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Interchange services remained available at the affected stations.
The closures affected Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk and Patel Chowk. Police also announced traffic restrictions and possible diversions in parts of the capital.
The Congress-led opposition planned to march to the Supreme Court to submit a memorandum raising concerns about the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition leaders have accused the election authorities of removing eligible voters’ names and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The controversy follows a voter verification exercise that reportedly removed more than 130 million names from electoral rolls. Critics have questioned the process, while the Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have rejected allegations of political bias.
The metro closures came after several days of demonstrations in Delhi over the voter list revision. Police increased security and warned that traffic could be disrupted around key roads and protest locations.
Commuters were advised to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time for travel.
