Delhi Police Move to Shut Jantar Mantar as Protest Site Sparks Outrage
Opposition Leaders, Activists Condemn Move as an Attack on Right to Peaceful Assembly
New Delhi: The Delhi Police’s decision to remove historic Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and activists, who have described the move as an attack on the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and a sign of the BJP-led Indian government’s intolerance of dissent.
A standing order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11 removed Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated venues for demonstrations. Three alternative sites were designated instead: Ramlila Ground in central Delhi, Burari Ground in north Delhi, and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
The decision comes amid heightened tensions in the Indian capital over protests, including demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over electoral irregularities.
Why Is Modi Scared of Jantar Mantar?
CJP co-convener Saurav Das described the decision as “unacceptable.” In a strongly worded social media post, he questioned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance towards public protests, asking, “Why is Narendra Modi scared of Jantar Mantar? The Jantar Mantar belongs to THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. Did the Ministry of Home Affairs consult with the people of India?”
He added, “Take it in writing—just how they are denotifying people’s Jantar Mantar, the Prime Minister will soon denotify democracy in India. This move is a step towards that. We do not accept this arbitrary decision. It is an assault on people’s fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly. Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar ban raha hai!”
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also condemned the move, saying, “Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself. The dictator’s problem was never the protest site. It was the very idea of people protesting.”
Congress Sees Sign of Extreme Panic
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh described the decision as a “sign of extreme panic” within the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
“It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo that the historic Jantar Mantar will no longer be a place where our democracy is given a daily booster dose,” he said in a social media post.
Ramesh further remarked that “the poisonous pair is embattled, and we have seen in the past few days how brutally they have dealt with peaceful public protests.”
Delhi Turned into Militarised Fortress
The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation also strongly condemned the Modi government’s move to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites.
“Having turned Delhi into a militarized fortress and unleashed colonial-style police repression against students, youth, activists and citizens demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the unconstitutional and arbitrary SIR process that has disenfranchised crores of citizens, the Modi-Shah regime has now moved to shut down one of the last remaining popular spaces for democratic protest in the national capital,” the party said.
