New Delhi: Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from its list of designated protest venues and identified Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative locations for demonstrations and public gatherings.
According to an order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, the Union home ministry had constituted a committee to identify alternative venues while safeguarding citizens’ right to protest. The three locations were selected based on the committee’s recommendations.
Delhi Police said detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) governing demonstrations at the newly designated venues would be issued separately.
Jantar Mantar has been one of the capital’s principal protest sites since 1993, following restrictions on demonstrations at the Boat Club near India Gate after a major farmers’ mobilisation led by Mahendra Singh Tikait in 1988.
The venue has witnessed several prominent protests over the years. In October 2017, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibited demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and directed that protests be shifted to Ramlila Maidan. However, in July 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the blanket ban, allowing peaceful demonstrations subject to regulations.
Ramlila Maidan has also played a significant role in India’s political history. Major gatherings held there include rallies associated with Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement against the Indira Gandhi government in 1975 and Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation in 2011.
The revised list of protest venues comes amid renewed debate over access to designated spaces for peaceful demonstrations in the national capital.
