Delhi was really strict with security and traffic rules on 23 January 2026. The reason was that the people in charge were doing a practice run for the Republic Day Parade. This practice is very important before the celebrations on 26 January.
The practice happened on Kartavya Path which goes from Vijay Chowk to India Gate. The armed forces and other groups like the police all worked together for this. They even had teams from states participating with their own special displays. The Republic Day Parade practice is a deal and Delhi was getting ready, for it.
The rehearsal started early in the morning and it went on for a lot of hours. Because of this many big roads were. People had to take a different route. The Delhi Traffic Police told people about this the day so they could plan how they would get where they needed to go. They said people should try to avoid the roads in the middle of Delhi when it’s really busy.
The roads, around Raisina Hill and the Rajpath area and also Tilak Marg and Rafi Marg and Janpath had a lot of restrictions. This meant that the other roads got really crowded with traffic.
The metro was running as usual but they had to close some of the entry and exit gates at a few stations near Kartavya Path because of security concerns. People who use the metro were told to check the traffic updates and use public transport if they can. With these warnings there were still a lot of cars on Ring Road and Inner Ring Road which caused long lines of traffic because people who go to offices had to find new ways to get around due, to the road closures.
They really increased the security this time. The Delhi Police and other security people were over the place. There were thousands of them at spots. They had teams to check for bombs and dogs to sniff out trouble. They also had people watching from cameras and drones to make sure everything was safe, during the practice parade. Security people were watching the area very closely.
The weather was not very good. That made things harder. It rained a bit earlier in the day and that made the roads very slippery. This slowed down people moving around in some areas. Made the traffic even worse.. The people in charge said that the practice session, for the parade still happened on time. This meant that the groups taking part in the parade could work on getting everything right like the timing and how they moved together and make sure the ceremony was perfect. The parade contingents could fine-tune their timing and the officials could check the precision of the parade contingents.
The police people in charge said that doing a practice run for Republic Day is very important. This practice run helps the police see if their plans for keeping people safe and handling emergencies are working. They also use this time to figure out how to manage the traffic. The police do this practice run to make sure everything is ready, for the thing. They take notes during the practice. Use that information to make any necessary changes before Republic Day actually happens. The police want to make sure Republic Day goes smoothly and safely.
Residents and commuters have been advised to expect similar or stricter traffic restrictions on 25 and 26 January, especially in central Delhi. Authorities reiterated that cooperation from the public is essential to ensure smooth conduct of the Republic Day समारोह, emphasizing that the temporary inconvenience is necessary in the interest of national security and public safety.
