Delhi police ban protests at flagship site ‘Jantar Mantar’

Delhi Police on Monday imposed an indefinite ban on protests at the Indian capital’s flagship protest site, Jantar Mantar.

Instead, the police named Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in the city, as the new sites for demonstrations.

The permission for Jantar Mantar protest was first denied for the proposed 10 October demonstration, while extensive security measures were imposed, including restrictions on metro services and railway movements.

The protest, called by the Cockroach Janata Party and other groups, seeks the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revisions.

Jantar Mantar was built as an astronomical observatory, but its adjoining road gradually acquired another role. It became a place where citizens could make their grievances visible to the political establishment.

After demonstrations at the Boat Club lawns near India Gate were restricted following a major farmers’ agitation in the 1980s, Jantar Mantar became, from around 1993, the principal venue where protests in the capital were permitted.

Its appeal lay not only in its central location. Protesters could gather within sight of Parliament and government offices, and the compact stretch of road made demonstrations easier to contain than large marches through the city

The venue has hosted demonstrations by farmers, trade unions, political parties, students, civil-society groups and individuals pursuing personal causes.