The price of making a point: When Delhi's protests send bill to everyone else

NEW DELHI: The protest may have a destination; its disruption doesn't. A barricade goes up in central Delhi, a Metro station shuts, a market empties out, and suddenly, people with no part in the demonstration are paying for it in lost sales, longer commutes and a less certain journey home.

As the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued its protests over the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the effects rippled beyond the sites where its supporters gathered.

Traders reported falling sales during the festive season, commuters struggled to navigate closures and diversions, and workers found their daily earnings caught in the disruption.

A familiar question thus comes into focus: how does a city accommodate the right to protest without leaving people who have no part in the demonstration to absorb the consequences?

For businesses, the timing has been particularly difficult. October marks the beginning of the festive trading season, when markets typically see increased footfall ahead of Diwali and the wedding season.