Bengaluru Metro skips three stations after Freedom Habba crowd surge

Bengaluru Metro temporarily shut three Purple Line stations on Saturday evening after thousands converged on Vidhana Soudha for the Freedom Habba event, causing severe overcrowding. The Times of India reports that Sir M Visvesvaraya Central College and Cubbon Park Metro stations were closed around 7pm, with trains skipping them. Dr BR Ambedkar Vidhana Soudha station had already been shut from 10.30am to 9.30pm on directions from authorities. All three reopened by 10pm.

The Deccan Herald adds that the crowd at MG Road station, where families, students and office-goers sat on the floor, became so heavy that passengers pushed and shouted at Platform 2. Some commuters abandoned the Metro and walked to other stations. Traffic restrictions around Vidhana Soudha diverted vehicles onto alternative routes, which also saw heavy congestion. Auto-rickshaw fares surged, with one passenger reporting paying nearly double the usual fare to travel from the venue to Cunningham Road.

BMRCL stated that the stations were closed for passenger safety and that services resumed only after clearance from local police.