On October 12, the Delhi Police ‘denotified’ Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, replacing it with three new locations. But how feasible is it to protest at venues far from Parliament, and will the people’s voices actually reach those in power?
For decades, Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has served as a pivotal hub for protests in the national capital. But following Delhi Police’s decision to ‘denotify’ Jantar Mantar as a protest site, it is no longer permitted to host such demonstrations there. Instead, the police have designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground as the new venues for protests.
We visited all three locations to assess their suitability and found that they present challenges such as their sheer size, high booking costs and limited availability of dates. Concerns have also been raised about how far Burari Ground is and how difficult it is to reach.
To understand the significance of Jantar Mantar, we spoke to renowned social activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, who have led numerous protest movements.
The question remains whether these new protest sites effectively replace Jantar Mantar in conveying the public’s demands to those in power.
Watch our report to find out.
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