Jantar Mantar loses status as Delhi protest site

Jantar Mantar, New Delhi's best-known protest site for more than three decades, has lost its status as an authorised demonstration venue under a Delhi Police order.

“Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified,” Delhi Police said in an order issued Monday, without giving a reason.

The roughly 1.6-kilometre street beside the 18th-century observatory had been a designated demonstration site since 1993. Trade unions, retired soldiers, anti-corruption campaigners, women's rights groups and student activists have used it to press demands near the capital's commercial and political centre.

The decision came days after confrontations between authorities and anti-government protesters led by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party online movement. The group has mobilised protesters over a revision to electoral rolls that critics say could disenfranchise eligible voters.

Authorities have designated three alternative protest venues in Delhi, including two on the capital's outskirts and Ramlila Maidan for larger gatherings closer to the centre. Activists said moving demonstrations away from Jantar Mantar would reduce visibility and access to lawmakers, ministries and media.

Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi told AFP the move was “nothing but a move to curb dissent”. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Jantar Mantar was “not just a location but a spirit of resistance”.

Police detained CJP leaders on Tuesday after they climbed over barricades to “reclaim Jantar Mantar”. A protester told AFP demonstrators would continue gathering there and carry out civil disobedience before police took her away as she tried to march toward the site.

Some local residents welcomed the police order. Resident Varun Seth told the Hindustan Times that barricades, noise, garbage and disrupted access had affected daily life. Former Delhi Police commissioner Kiran Bedi also defended the move, saying the site's sensitive location made it poorly suited to hosting protests.