Delhi Metro shuts five stations

  New Delhi: Five prime Metro stations in the heart of Delhi were on Sunday closed in view of a protest march by AAP workers from Mandi House to the Prime Minister's residence.

The march, which began around 5 pm, is in support of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet colleagues, who have been holding a sit-in at the LG office for the last one week, demanding that Lt Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their "strike". They also demand that the Lt Governor approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of ration. 

Kejriwal had on Friday said that the march was planned after his letters to the prime minister, seeking his intervention in the matter, drew no response.  Lok Kalyan Marg metro station, which falls in the vicinity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg was the first to have been shut ahead of the march. 

"As advised by Delhi Police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station from 12 noon onwards till further directions," a senior DMRC official said earlier. He later said four more stations were closed, but interchange facilities at Central Secretariat station would be available. 

"As advised by the police, entry and exit at four more metro stations will be closed from 2 pm onwards till further directions. The stations are -- Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath," the official said. 

"However, interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available," he added. A huge number of people gathered at the Mandi House station roundabout by 4 pm. 

The crowd is marching through the streets of Lutyens' Delhi amid security deployment in the area.