Delhi protest: Daily wage workers prevented from reaching workplace

Mukesh Chauhan, 47, who works as an electrician at a work site in central Delhi, was stopped at the Nizamuddin barricade, while he was going to work on his motorbike. | Photo Credit: Nikhil M. Babu Migrant daily wage labourers and staff working in Khan Market and the surrounding areas were unable to reach their workplaces as police turned them away from Nizamuddin. The labourers and workers, who are mostly employed in small shops or construction areas did not possess any valid identity cards and were unable to prove their identity to security personnel.Follow the updates of the Delhi protest on October 10, 2026.Devender Chauhan, 41, on a scooter along with his wife was stopped at the barricade in Nizamuddin.“She works at a cafe in central Delhi. Look at her uniform; the company’s name is written here, but they are not allowing us to go,” he said“The advertising company in Khan Market, where I work, is asking me to go and open the shop. The main key is with me. They are now saying, don’t work today. I have checked other roads also, everything is closed,” Mr. Chauhan said.“Last time also, when Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, Khan Market was barricaded on all sides, and we were not allowed to even leave. We had to wait for about two hours,” he added, referring to the June-July protest in Jantar Mantar by CJP and other students’ unions.Elsewhere, Mukesh Chauhan, 47, who works as an electrician at a work site in central Delhi, was stopped at the Nizamuddin barricade while he was going to work on his motorbike.“If I don’t go, then I won’t get paid for the day. But they [police] are not allowing me to go. I earn only about ₹9,000 a month. People like us should be allowed to go. If I don’t work today, I will lose the ₹100 I have spent on petrol for travelling too,” he said.Ram Kishan Mandal, 36, was among a group of daily wage workers employed at a construction site in central Delhi, who were stopped by Delhi Police personnel at another barricade leading to India Gate in Central Delhi. “Police are saying that we don’t have a permit to go ahead. We tried calling our employer, who asked us to walk to the site, but they are not allowing us,” he said.Ram Kishan, who hails from Bihar, said the house was destroyed in the recent flood in the State, and his wife and children are living in a makeshift house with a tarpaulin roof. “If we earn something, then only I will be able to rebuild my house,” he said. But his bigger concern for today is: “If we don’t work, we will lose out on today’s wage. What will we eat for two days?” Published - October 10, 2026 01:20 pm IST