Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues and authorised three alternative locations for demonstrations, citing security and public-convenience concerns. The decision changes the administrative framework for political and public protests in the capital with immediate effect.
An order signed by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on Monday stated that political parties and organisations would no longer be permitted to hold demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi. The order followed recommendations made by a committee, although the report did not provide further details about the committee or its deliberations.
The three locations identified for demonstrations are Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and the CBD Ground in East Delhi. Delhi Police said separate and revised standard operating procedures would be issued for organising protests at these sites. Those procedures are expected to set out the administrative process for seeking permission and conducting demonstrations at the newly designated venues.
The police cited security requirements and the need to protect the public from inconvenience caused by demonstrations as the reasons for the change. The order therefore shifts the designated protest system away from Jantar Mantar, a centrally located venue that has traditionally been associated with public demonstrations in New Delhi.
The decision drew criticism from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Its founder Abhijit Dipke described the move as an attempt to suppress public expression and posted on X that removing Jantar Mantar from the designated protest-site list could be followed by the cancellation of democracy itself. His statement was a political response to the police order and did not alter the operational terms announced by the department.
CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka also criticised the timing of the decision. He said the party had approached Delhi Police about 30 minutes earlier to request a date for holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, after which the venue was removed from the designated list. The report did not include a response from Delhi Police to the two leaders’ comments.
The change makes permission procedures and site capacity central to how protests will be managed in the capital. Until the revised standard operating procedures are issued, the report does not establish the detailed limits, application timelines or operational conditions that will apply at Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and the CBD Ground. Delhi Police’s next step is to publish those procedures for demonstrations at the three authorised locations.
