Continuous rainfall lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday, bringing respite from the recent spell of heat and humidity but leaving several parts of the region waterlogged and causing major traffic disruptions.
With heavy showers continuing through the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi-NCR, warning of more intense rainfall.
The southwest monsoon returned with force after days of warm and humid conditions, inundating roads and low-lying areas across the capital and neighbouring cities.
In south Delhi, waterlogging was reported from Durga Vihar, while Deoli Road was also flooded following persistent rain. In neighbouring Noida, heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging at the Sector 95 underpass beneath the Mahamaya Flyover, where an ambulance became stranded in deep water.
The downpour also triggered long traffic queues across several key routes in the capital. Congestion was reported on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, ITO, Wazirabad Road, Patel Road, Rohtak Road, Shankar Road, the Kirti Nagar stretch, the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Peeragarhi and Shaheen Bagh.
‘Ready for dialogue’: CM Soren promises systemic reforms
Speaking on the ongoing agitation, Chief Minister Hemant Soren stated that the state government is eager to understand and address the core grievances of the students.
“We have already specified a channel of communication. We are ready to talk. The government is keen to understand the issues faced by every student. We are now trying to take the students’ wishes beyond the confines of Jaipal Singh Stadium,” CM Soren said.
Emphasising the government’s intent to overhaul examination conduct, he added: “Our goal is to move forward with significant, robust reforms that address these student aspirations in a manner that aligns with their needs.”
JLKM MLA alleges JSSC CGL irregularities; AISA joins agitation
The protest gained further momentum as Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) MLA Jairam Mahato raised serious allegations regarding the integrity of recent selection processes, specifically questioning a top rank holder in the JSSC CGL examination.
“The demand is regarding the JPSC preliminary examination. The accused person in this matter had cleared the JSSC CGL examination with second rank, and several members of his family had also passed the exam,” Mahato alleged, demanding a comprehensive multi-exam probe into the candidate’s history and the conducting agency.
Simultaneously, All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora joined the protesting aspirants at Jaipal Singh Stadium to extend support, following a direct phone call between Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and student representatives a day prior.
Protesters name 11-member panel, demand live media talks
In response to government outreach, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch finalized an 11-member delegation to lead official negotiations with the state administration. The panel comprises eight student representativesPiyush Kumar Singh, Ravindra Paswan, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Kartik Soren, Ravindra, Ankit Kumar, and Shalu Singhalongside one legal advisor and two technical experts.
However, student leaders have firmly rejected closed-door meetings, demanding that the dialogue take place on an open platform in the presence of live media.
“In our previous protest, our representatives were taken into a closed room, and nothing came out of it. They are calling a small team just to stall and suppress our movement,” a protesting student alleged, insisting that transparency is essential for resolving the deadlock.