Massive Crowd at Religious Event Triggers Traffic Chaos in Rohini, Metro Entry Curbed

New Delhi- A large gathering linked to a religious event in Delhi’s Rohini area led to severe congestion on Thursday, with long queues forming outside multiple metro stations and traffic coming to a near standstill in surrounding areas.

The rush was attributed to devotees attending a six-day Mahashivpuran Katha narrated by Pradeep Mishra, which concluded the same day. As the event ended, a surge of attendees heading home overwhelmed nearby public transport systems.

At Rithala Metro Station, hundreds of commuters were seen waiting outside entry gates as security personnel temporarily restricted access due to overcrowding inside the premises. Similar scenes were reported at other stations along the Delhi Metro Red Line, where authorities attempted to manage the influx.

Security staff from the Central Industrial Security Force used barricades and ropes to control the situation, advising people to wait until the crowd inside thinned out. Despite these measures, the pressure of the crowd led to significant inconvenience for daily commuters.

Road traffic in the area was also heavily affected, with stretches near Madhuban Chowk witnessing gridlock for nearly two kilometres. Many devotees were forced to walk long distances under intense heat as transport options became limited.

Officials from the Delhi Traffic Police said efforts were underway to divert vehicles and ease congestion, though the sudden surge made crowd management challenging.

Commuters expressed frustration over the situation, citing lack of prior arrangements for such a large turnout. Some attendees said they would avoid visiting similar events in the future due to the difficulties faced.

This is not the first time large gatherings linked to such events have led to public inconvenience, raising questions about crowd management and coordination between event organisers and civic authorities.