The government on Friday permitted a temporary suspension of internet services within a 4-km radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing.
The move forms part of the Delhi Police’s preventive measures in view of protests called by various outfits, among them the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
“Internet services will remain suspended within a 4-kilometer radius around the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing. Services will remain suspended from 10 PM on October 9 to 10 PM on October 10. Instructions have been issued to suspend all forms of mobile internet technology,” the notice said.
The suspension will apply to all mobile internet services. Internet services in the rest of Delhi will remain unaffected, they said. Delhi Police has divided the New Delhi district into 20 zones as part of their preparations to handle the proposed protest on October 10, they added.
57 metro stations closed ahead of October 10
Entry and exit gates at 57 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk and Kashmere Gate, will remain closed from 9 pm on Friday till further notice. According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), restrictions will also continue on October 10, with the interchange facility remaining available at all affected stations except for the New Delhi metro station.
Other prominent stations where entry and exit gates will remain closed include Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Supreme Court, Indraprastha, ITO, Delhi Gate, Khan Market, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Hauz Khas and INA. The list also includes Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar, Kalindi Kunj, Lajpat Nagar, Ashram, Sarai Kale Khan-Nizamuddin, Welcome, Shahdara, Rithala, Rohini, Azadpur, Kashmere Gate and Shivaji Stadium, among others.
Police personnel mobilised
More than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been mobilised ahead of the protest. According to police, the elaborate security arrangements are aimed at preventing protesters from staging an unauthorised sit-in at Jantar Mantar and to maintain law and order across the city amid the possibility of large-scale mobilisation of people.
The New Delhi district has been divided into 20 zones to strengthen security arrangements and maintain law and order. Each of the 20 zones will be monitored by a Joint Commissioner of Police, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police to ensure close supervision of the security arrangements, the sources said.
Special Commissioners of Police heading various units will also closely monitor the zones and coordinate with senior officers whenever required to respond to any law-and-order situation, they added.