Delhi Police Removes Jantar Mantar As Official Protest Site

New Protest Rules

New Delhi's historic Jantar Mantar is no longer a designated site for protests. The Delhi Police announced this decision on Monday following a notice issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. The Ministry of Home Affairs had set up a committee to look at alternative proper venues for citizens to hold protests instead of the existing site. Three new locations have been chosen for demonstrations: the Ramlila Ground in Central Delhi, the Burari Ground in North Delhi, and the CBD Ground in East Delhi.

Strong Reactions

The move faced strong pushback from the Cockroach Janta Party. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das called the decision unacceptable and an assault on the fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly. Jantar Mantar has served as the capital's main dissent square since 1993. It became the default protest spot after the Congress-led government banned gatherings at the Boat Club during the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid movement, following a 1988 agitation led by western Uttar Pradesh farm leader Mahendra Singh Tikait.

Landmark Agitations

Over the decades, the tree-lined boulevard next to the 18th-century observatory witnessed major political movements. In April 2011, social activist Anna Hazare began a hunger strike there to demand a Lokpal Bill, drawing prominent figures like Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal and leading to the birth of the Aam Aadmi Party. In 2017, debt-ridden Tamil Nadu farmers staged a 40-day protest demanding relief packages before suspending it when then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami met them. The venue also hosted demonstrations against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act later that year, and farmer unions demanding loan waivers and Minimum Support Price in March 2023. Other major movements included campaigns for justice for Nirbhaya in 2012 and the death of Arunachali student Nido Tania in 2014.

Context

Cities often designate specific public spaces for protests to balance citizens' freedom of assembly with the need to manage traffic, security, and local residents' comfort. Jantar Mantar's compact layout and two main entry points made it easier for authorities to handle crowds compared to older central venues like the Boat Club near Parliament.