Delhi Lockdown: Massive Security Deployment Amid Student Protest Crackdown
India's capital has been transformed into a virtual fortress as the central government imposes an unprecedented security lockdown across New Delhi to preempt planned student protests. Authorities have mobilized a combined force of 20,000 Delhi Police personnel and 23,000 paramilitary troops, effectively sealing off key entry points, government districts, and university neighborhoods. The operation, launched in the early hours, includes comprehensive transport restrictions — trains, metro services, and bus routes have been either suspended or severely curtailed — while multi-layered barricades now crisscross major thoroughfares such as Rajpath, Janpath, and the vicinity of Parliament House.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code has been enforced across the New Delhi district, prohibiting assembly of four or more persons. Police teams are conducting door-to-door verification drives in residential areas surrounding campuses, questioning students and checking identification documents. Mobile internet services have been suspended in several pockets, including North Campus, South Campus, and areas around Jawaharlal Nehru University, citing "maintenance of public order." The move has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties groups, opposition parties, and student unions who describe it as a disproportionate use of state machinery against peaceful democratic dissent.
The protests, organized under a coalition of student bodies, were scheduled to demand rollback of recent fee hikes, restoration of fellowship disbursements, and withdrawal of proposed changes to university governance structures. Organizers insist the demonstrations were planned as non-violent sit-ins. However, intelligence inputs cited by the Home Ministry warned of potential infiltration by "disruptive elements" and possible law-and-order deterioration. The government maintains the restrictions are preventive and temporary, though no timeline for lifting them has been announced. Metro stations at Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, and Patel Chowk remain closed, while traffic diversions have paralyzed movement across Lutyens' Delhi. Legal petitions challenging the internet shutdown and movement curbs have been filed in the Delhi High Court, with hearings expected within days.
Key Highlights
- 43,000 security personnel deployed across New Delhi including 23,000 paramilitary troops
- Metro, trains, and bus services suspended; barricades seal key government and university zones
- Section 144 imposed; mobile internet shut down in North Campus, South Campus, JNU areas
- Police conducting door-to-door student verification; protests planned over fee hikes and fellowships
- Legal challenges filed in Delhi High Court against movement curbs and internet suspension
Source: প্রথম আলো
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