Jantar Mantar has been denotified as a designated protest site in New Delhi, with the Delhi Police naming Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as the new locations for demonstrations.
The change was set out in a standing order issued on October 11 by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. The decision comes amid heightened security arrangements in the national capital following calls for protests at Jantar Mantar.
Under the order, demonstrations that were earlier permitted at Jantar Mantar will now be directed to the three newly designated sites. The police announcement changes the locations available for organised public protests in the capital, where Jantar Mantar has historically served as a prominent demonstration venue.
Ramlila Maidan is located in central Delhi, while Burari Ground and CBD Ground are situated away from the traditional protest zone, including in east Delhi. The police order, as reported, does not provide further details in the supplied material on the duration of the denotification, the specific security assessment behind the decision or the operating conditions at each of the three replacement venues.
The move triggered a political response from the Congress. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the decision in remarks posted on X. He alleged that the change reflected “extreme panic” within the central government and said Jantar Mantar would no longer be a place where democracy received a “daily booster dose”.
Ramesh also referred to the government as the “PM-HM duo” and alleged that peaceful public protests had been dealt with harshly in recent days. “Democracy no longer matters for them. It is all a matter of Demokursi,” he said, using a political phrase to attack the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
The Congress comments are political allegations and were not accompanied in the supplied report by a response from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Home Ministry or Delhi Police beyond the standing order announcing the revised protest locations.
The order places the police decision within Delhi’s wider system for regulating demonstrations in public spaces. Designated protest sites allow authorities to identify locations where crowd movement, traffic, security and public access can be managed. At the same time, changes to those locations can affect how easily protesters, organisations and members of the public can reach a demonstration venue.
The supplied report does not state whether any pending protest permissions at Jantar Mantar will be transferred automatically to the new sites, or whether organisers will need to submit fresh applications. It also does not specify whether the three locations will operate under identical restrictions or whether different crowd and timing conditions will apply.
Delhi Police’s standing order remains the operative announcement described in the report. The next details to establish are the implementation instructions for the three designated sites and how applications for upcoming demonstrations will be handled.
