New Delhi, July 23 -- With several metro stations shut for several hours and extensive police barricading, large parts of central Delhi came to a standstill for another day on Wednesday as hundreds of people, young and old, continued to pour into the Jantar Mantar protest site in support of the students' stir. The sudden closures left thousands of office-goers, students, and even security personnel scrambling for alternate routes, adding to the inconvenience caused by restrictions imposed on roads in light of the ongoing Parliament session. It started around 10.53 am, when, in a post on X, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, and Central Secretariat Metro stations, which open into the immediate vicinity of the protest site, had been closed "due to security reasons". By 11.30 am, 16 metro stations had been closed, with the shut down extending to Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, and Shivaji Stadium. The closure of a 17th station -- Jhandewalan -- was announced around 4.40pm. To be sure, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, and Central Secretariat stations remained open for interchange, but passengers were not allowed to enter or exit from these stations. With these closures, central Delhi was effectively inaccessible through the metro. Thousands of people use these routes daily, including those who work in the many offices, shops, courts, media houses, hotels, government institutions, and other establishments in the key city area. The area is also popular with tourists. As of 9pm on Wednesday, google map showed red lines around Jantar Mantar, in the vicinity of Connaught Place, with Ashoka Road, Sansad Marg, and Tolstoy Road largely off-limits. Massive snarls were witnessed on the Connaught Place Circle, Parliament Street, Akbar Road, among other roads....