Jantar Mantar out as protest hub; 3 new venues named
Delhi authorities have officially de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest site, relocating demonstrations to designated grounds in Burari, Ramlila Maidan, and Shahdara. The decision follows Supreme Court directives and aims to manage traffic and public order, though critics note the new sites are further from government centers and involve higher booking costs.
Why it matters
This shift significantly alters the landscape for civil dissent in India's capital, potentially limiting the visibility and accessibility of protest movements near the seat of government.
NEW DELHI: For decades, Jantar Mantar offered protesters a place within earshot of Parliament and the seat of govt they sought to hold accountable. Now they will have to make themselves heard from further away.Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi, Burari ground in the north and CBD ground in Shahdara have been designated as the city's new protest sites, replacing Jantar Mantar Road. An order issued by police commissioner Anurag Kumar on Oct 11 said the decision followed recommendations by a ministry of home affairs committee set up to identify suitable venues where citizens could exercise their right to protest.The order said: "On the committee recommendations, Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified".While the protest site is called Jantar Mantar, the protests never took place inside the 18th-century, ASI-protected astronomical observatory.
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