Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites and named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternative venues for demonstrations, a move that shifts organised public protests away from the central New Delhi district.
The decision was issued through a standing order by Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11, following recommendations from a committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to examine alternative locations where citizens could organise protests and demonstrations. The order partially modifies an earlier standing order dated April 28, 2022.
According to the order, a revised standard operating procedure for organising demonstrations at the three alternative venues will be issued separately. Ramlila Maidan is located in Central Delhi, CBD Ground is in east Delhi and Burari Ground is in north Delhi. The three venues are approximately four kilometres, 12 to 13 kilometres and nearly 21 kilometres from Jantar Mantar respectively.
The change comes amid heightened security arrangements in the national capital and repeated calls for protests by the Cockroach Janta Party and opposition leaders. The groups have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Those allegations are disputed and were not independently established in the report.
Jantar Mantar has historically functioned as a designated location for demonstrations close to Parliament and major government offices. Its removal from the list means that protest organisers will now have to use venues that are farther from the administrative centre, with the distance varying significantly depending on the location assigned by authorities.
The decision follows a period of tight security in the New Delhi district, where authorities had refused permission for some proposed demonstrations. The area includes Parliament, government offices, official residences, New Delhi Railway Station and several Metro stations used by thousands of commuters. During large gatherings, police barricades, traffic diversions and restrictions around sensitive sites can affect movement through the district.
The police action also follows clashes in the New Delhi district on July 20, when a small gathering escalated into a law-and-order situation, according to the report. Police action and an investigation followed. The authorities have cited the need to manage security and public order while revising the locations available for demonstrations.
CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das visited Parliament Street police station on Monday to seek a fresh date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, who was in his native village in Maharashtra after the death of his grandmother, criticised the decision and said removing the site would not end public dissent.
Dipke also alleged that Delhi Police subjected him and his family to mental distress after he was detained at Delhi airport on October 10 while travelling to Delhi to lead a protest. Delhi Police released a video saying he had been informed sensitively about his grandmother’s death and that assistance had been offered to facilitate his travel. Dipke disputed that account and demanded the release of the complete, unedited footage.
The immediate administrative next step is the issuance of the revised standard operating procedure governing demonstrations at Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
