New Delhi, Oct 9: An unprecedented security clampdown has been enforced in the Capital ahead of Saturday, after Delhi Police denied permission to the Cockroach Janta Party to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar, with the deployment of 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel, closure of 57 metro stations, suspension of internet services and intensive checks at city’s border points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations.

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.

Internet services will be suspended within a 4-kilometre radius of Jantar Mantar from 10 pm on October 9 to 10 pm on October 10, sources said. The Union home ministry has approved the decision, they said. The suspension will apply to all mobile internet services. Internet services in the rest of Delhi will remain unaffected, they said.

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.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Commissioner Nupur Prasad said on Friday that police have denied permission for the proposed October 10 demonstration, citing the short notice given for the event and alleged violations of rules and directions during an earlier protest.

She said the application seeking permission for the demonstration was submitted on October 7, just three days before the proposed gathering, adding that according to rules, such applications have to be submitted at least 10 days in advance

Police said the application did not meet the stipulated notice period and that the conduct of the July demonstration had raised concerns over compliance with directions issued by authorities.

The restrictions have been proposed in view of the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Kumar is facing allegations of voter-list tampering under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and of bypassing his two colleagues to alter Form 6, a key document to register as a voter.

As part of the security arrangements, Delhi Police conducted mock drills at several locations.

More than 120 companies of Central Armed Police Forces are expected to be involved in the security arrangements.

Liquor shops across Delhi have been ordered to remain closed on October 9 and 10 as a preventive measure. 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.

Railway services are also expected to be disrupted, with several trains scheduled to arrive at or depart from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday reported cancelled.

The restrictions are intended to prevent large groups from converging on sensitive locations and moving towards areas where demonstrations are not permitted.

The proposed measures could affect office-goers, students, shoppers and other commuters who rely on the metro for daily travel. Passengers have been advised to check official announcements.

Meanwhile, police have stepped up monitoring of social media platforms, with more than 200 content creators reportedly under scrutiny in connection with mobilisation for the protest.

Borders of the national capital will also face heightened surveillance and additional security cameras have been installed.

There is a possibility of restrictions on vehicles entering New Delhi after 6 am on Saturday, depending on the security assessment and the situation on the ground, police sources said.

Hotels, lodges, guest houses and dharamshalas are being checked as part of the preventive security exercise. Police are also issuing appeals from various mosques and temples, urging people to maintain peace.

Bus terminals across the Capital will witness heightened vigilance, with security personnel monitoring passengers and vehicles arriving from neighbouring states.

The airport and its approach roads are expected to remain under heightened security, with additional checks and surveillance to ensure that passenger movement remains orderly. Travellers heading to the airport have been advised to account for possible congestion and security checks while planning their journeys.

Police will keep a close watch on people associated with the protest and assess attempts to mobilise supporters through social media platforms.

More than 200 content creators have reportedly come under scrutiny as part of the monitoring exercise. Police teams are examining online posts and messages relating to mobilisation, gathering points and the proposed demonstration.

Police said security personnel will monitor developments throughout Saturday and respond to any incidents, including crowd build-up, traffic obstructions and attempts to breach barricades.

New Delhi, Oct 9: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from 15 states and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on a PIL filed by NGO Energy Watchdog seeking directions to ensure that their state electricity regulatory commissions are properly constituted under the law.

The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice on the PIL filed by the NGO through lawyer Pranav Sachdeva.

The petitioner has sought the apex court’s directions directing the states and UTs to take all steps to comply with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, and with the directions of the apex court in a verdict of April 2018 regarding composition of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs).

The plea said there were several “statutory infractions”, such as prolonged vacancies in the offices of chairperson and members and the complete absence of a person of law on the Commission, across 230 SERCs in the 15 states and the UTs.

In the 2018 ruling, the Supreme Court held that SERCs have the “trappings of the court” and must have a suitably qualified person of law as a member, the plea said.

It said the commissions across several states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, continue to lack a person of law despite this ruling.

The plea said in Tamil Nadu, all three offices are vacant, while in Andhra Pradesh, the chairperson and member (technical) posts are vacant, and the Commission functions with a sole member (finance).

It said that in West Bengal, only the chairperson’s office has been created, and the incumbent does not have the required legal background.

The plea said the failure “strikes at consumers’ access to justice” under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and, without the mandated person of law, consumers cannot get lawful adjudication of complaints under the Electricity Act.

“Consumers’ access to that remedy cannot be made dependent upon indefinite executive inaction,” the plea said.

It sought directions to the states of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim, and to the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, directing the authorities concerned to file a reply disclosing the steps taken to ensure that their SERCs had been constituted in compliance with the Electricity Act provisions.

New Delhi, Oct 9: Long-term exposure to air pollution may have a role in development of gynaecological cancers, Delhi-NCR experts said, citing emerging research on the possible links between PM2.5 exposure, reproductive health and cancers of the female reproductive system.

Experts explained that gynaecological cancers do not have a single cause, adding that environmental factors may contribute to the biological processes involved in cancer development.

“PM2.5 is of interest because prolonged exposure is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and systemic biological effects,” Dr Rama Joshi, gynae onco surgeon and chairman, Gynae Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Gurugram, said.

She said recent studies have reported associations between air pollution and certain aspects of women’s reproductive health, raising questions about whether environmental exposure may also have a role in the broader cancer-risk environment.

She said an association between pollution exposure and cancer does not mean that pollution directly causes cancer, adding that such evidence in gynaecological cancers is still evolving and findings have not been uniform across studies. More India-specific data is needed before drawing conclusions about causation, she said.

“Women should focus on the risk factors that we already know can be modified or monitored. Maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, managing diabetes and other metabolic conditions, understanding family history and seeking timely evaluation for abnormal bleeding remain important. Environmental pollution is an additional concern that deserves further scientific investigation,” Joshi said.

The experts also referred to a recent India-wide study that examined the relationship between environmental exposure and reproductive health among Indian women.

The study reported that women exposed to PM2.5 levels above 40 micrograms per cubic metre had 24 per cent higher odds of delayed menarche and a 23 per cent higher hazard of early menopause. The researchers analysed National Family Health Survey data along with satellite-derived PM2.5 estimates and other environmental indicators.

The analysis included nearly 1.8 lakh women aged 15-24 for menarche and nearly 3 lakh women aged 30-49 for menopause, with stronger associations reported in northern India, including areas such as Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Such findings are adding to scientific interest in how prolonged exposure to air pollution may influence hormonal and reproductive pathways in women. Researchers are also examining whether biological effects associated with PM2.5, including chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular damage, could potentially contribute to conditions affecting hormone-sensitive tissues and the female reproductive system.

Endometrial cancer, which develops in the lining of the uterus, is strongly associated with established risk factors such as obesity, prolonged oestrogen exposure, diabetes, increasing age and certain genetic conditions. Ovarian cancer has a different set of risk factors, including age, family history and inherited genetic mutations.

The possibility that chronic environmental exposure could add to these established risk factors is an area of growing scientific interest. Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter may have systemic effects beyond the lungs, potentially influencing inflammatory, hormonal and cellular processes that are relevant to cancer biology.

The issue assumes greater relevance in Delhi-NCR, where women may be exposed to elevated PM2.5 concentrations repeatedly over many years. Fine particulate matter has been linked to inflammation, oxidative stress and other systemic effects, prompting scientists to examine whether these biological pathways could influence tissues beyond the lungs, including hormone-sensitive organs.

Dr Joshi stressed that women should not interpret air pollution as a standalone cause of gynaecological cancer. Abnormal uterine bleeding, bleeding after menopause, unusually heavy or prolonged periods, persistent pelvic or abdominal discomfort, unexplained bloating and changes in urinary or bowel habits warrant medical evaluation, particularly when symptoms persist.

With gynaecological cancers remaining an important health burden among women, experts said larger, long-term Indian studies involving Indian women are needed to further determine pollution as the important risk factor for gynaecological cancer.

Dr Aditya Sarin, vice chairman, Medical Oncology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, said the emerging evidence provides a reasonable basis to consider air pollution as a potential contributing factor in the cancer-risk environment.

“Chronic exposure to PM2.5 can promote inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular changes, which are mechanisms relevant to cancer development. The emerging association with reproductive health makes it important to investigate whether prolonged pollution exposure may also contribute to gynaecological cancers.

“While causation is yet to be established, the signal is important and deserves further study, particularly in highly polluted regions such as Delhi-NCR,” Sarin said.