Shops, Eateries At Delhi's Connaught Place Shut At 6.30 PM Amid CJP Protests

Shops, restaurants and offices in Delhi's centrally located Connaught Place were instructed to be shut at 6:30 pm on Thursday, in an advisory issued by the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) earlier in the day.

The traders' body had said in a notice that its decision was taken following advice from the chairman and vice chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation.

"As advised by the Chairman NDMC and Vice Chairman NDMC, telephonically, looking at the critical situation around CP, it is has been strictly advised that all shops and establishments, including offices and restaurants, in Connaught Place, New Delhi, shall close for the day by 6.30 pm, today that is 23.07.2026," the NDTA said in its advisory.

The decision, issued to all shops and establishments in the area, comes amid the protests of the Cockroach Janata Party.

The advisory said all shop owners, office establishments and restaurants in the area have been urged to cooperate and strictly comply with the directions. It noted that the measure was taken in view of the "critical situation" around Connaught Place due to the CJP protests.

"All establishment owners/occupiers are requested to cooperate and ensure strict compliance with the above directions to avoid any unpleasant situation and save yourself from any loss of property and injury," it read.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi chief minister condemned the decision to close the shops.

"Intense security. Piles of ambulances. Will the Modi government once again brutally attack its own children at Jantar Mantar today," he wrote, sharing an image of the advisory.

The advisory comes four days after tensions escalated in the national capital related to the CJP-led protests over NEET paper leak and the subsequent demand of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.