Indian Railways Cancels 245 Delhi-Bound Trains Ahead of Planned Demonstration

Indian Railways cancelled at least 245 trains that start from or end at Delhi stations ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party protest in the national capital. Officials stated that this total includes 75 mail or express trains and 170 passenger trains.

Changes And Impact

Aside from the cancellations, two trains were rescheduled, while nine trains were short terminated and short originated. Railways explained that these steps were taken due to expected heavy road traffic jams around Delhi stations. The cancelled services feature premium trains such as Shatabdi, Humsafar, Rajdhani, and Tejas express services. Specific affected lines include the Magadh Express, Sampoorna Kranti Express, Kanpur-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, and Prayagraj-New Delhi Humsafar Express. Meanwhile, trains like the Prayagraj Express were cancelled, while others like the Kerala Express were not cancelled. Passenger trains running between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday faced cancellation.

Reactions And Court Remarks

These sudden travel restrictions drew heavy criticism from the public, with many people complaining on social media that the government wanted to stop protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar. The Supreme Court also directed the government to make sure that everything is not brought to a halt and that citizens do not face hardship. The court urged authorities to follow the principle of proportionality, noting that officials should avoid using a hammer to kill a fly.

Context

Mass transit cancellations of this scale are typically ordered during major protests or security events to manage crowd movement and prevent severe gridlock in capital cities. Courts frequently intervene in such administrative actions to balance public order maintenance with the daily travel needs of ordinary citizens.