Following the complete shutdown of the New Delhi district, the administrative center of the capital, by recent protests, the Delhi Police on Monday announced that Jantar Mantar will no longer be an authorized protest site. Instead, the police have designated three new locations outside the New Delhi district as protest venues.
According to a new order issued in this regard by City Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on Oct. 11, Ramlila Maidan (Central District), Burari Maidan (North District), and CBD Ground in East Delhi have been declared new protest sites.
Ramlila Maidan is located 4 km from Jantar Mantar, CBD Ground in East Delhi is 12 to 13 km away, and Burari Ground is about 21 km away. Senior city police officials said this move has been taken based on the recommendation of the committee set up by the Union Home Ministry to explore alternative venues for holding public protests.
The police said that detailed and revised standard operating procedures regarding holding protests at these 3 new locations will be issued separately soon.
In the New Delhi area, where highly important buildings such as Parliament, key ministries, and the President’s House are located, continuous protests had been causing traffic congestion and great hardship for the public and office workers. In this situation, the police department’s move to remove the Jantar Mantar area from the list of protest venues has become a topic of discussion.
High cost: Holding a protest at Ramleela Maidan, one of the three newly announced protest venues in New Delhi, is expected to become very difficult and expensive.
Because there are no dates available at this ground for the next two and a half months. Moreover, the fee for a one-day booking could rise to more than Rs. 1 lakh.
Officials said that the 12-acre Ramlila Maidan, which can seat 50,000 people, can currently be booked only for December 29, 30, and 31 this year.
Only a small portion of the ground is currently available free of charge for holding small-scale protests and gatherings. Delhi Municipal Corporation officials clarified that even there, only 150 people can participate.
This ground is booked through the Horticulture Department of the Delhi Municipal Corporation. It is noteworthy that obtaining a no-objection certificate from the Delhi Police is mandatory before the Municipal Corporation grants approval.
