From Jantar Mantar to the fringes: Delhi’s new protest sites share one thing – distance from the corridors of power | Today’s news
Delhi Police said on October 12 that Jantar Mantar is no longer an officially designated site for protests and demonstrations in the national capital.
Instead, three new venues were designated: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. This comes on a day when leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das looking for a date for peace
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The decision comes at a time when opposition parties, civil society groups such as Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and student organizations including All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) are planning protests and marches around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
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Delhi Police has identified Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi’s Shahdara as protest and demonstration sites.
The Delhi Police said the decision followed the recommendations of a Home Ministry committee that had been looking into alternative venues. The article states that the new locations are further away from central Delhi and its power corridors.
Burari Ground is roughly 20 kilometers from Parliament and central Delhi. CBD Ground at Shahdara is about 12 kilometers away.
Jantar Mantar is no longer a designated protest site as per Delhi Police orders. Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground are designated alternatives.
Delhi Police said a detailed, revised standard operating procedure for organizing protests and demonstrations at the three locations would be issued separately.
Jantar Mantar was designated as a protest site by the authorities after the site of dissent was moved from the Boat Club lawns three decades ago.
Earlier, the largest gatherings in Delhi were held on the lawns near India Gate, within sight of the North and South Blocks where the ministries are located.
After 1988 when Mahendra Singh Tikait camped there for about a week with an estimated 5 thousand farmers. As president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Tikait forced the then Rajiv Gandhi government to accept key demands such as electricity bill waivers and higher sugarcane prices.
In 1993, the site of the protest was officially shifted to Jantar Mantar Road, by administrative practice.
Ramlila Maidan in old Delhi and land at Burari in the suburbs was reserved for larger gatherings. So the latest decision adds CBD land in Shahadra as another option
The new order essentially means that Jantar Mantar will no longer be a designated place for protests. However, the ordinance mentions three new places as designated protest sites in the state capital.
Jantar Mantar is a centrally located stretch of road in Lutyens’ Delhi Zone. The site is less than two kilometers from Parliament, North and South Blocks, making it an even more prominent and strategic location for those who want their message to be heard.
The Delhi Police said a detailed and revised standard operating procedure (SOP) for organizing protests and demonstrations at the three locations will be issued separately.
Jantar Mantar’s proximity to power
Jantar Mantar is a centrally located stretch of road in Lutyens’ Delhi Zone. The site is less than two kilometers from Parliament, North and South Blocks, making it an even more prominent and strategic location for those who want their message to be heard.
The Official residence of the Prime Minister on Lok Kalyan Marg is also not too far as are major markets and key ministries. Not surprisingly, Time magazine in 2008 described Jantar Mantar as a “marketplace of grievances”.
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In April 2011, social activist Anna Hazare started a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Three months later Hazare resumed his fast and as the crowds overgrew the road. This time the venue was Ramlila Maidan.
The new locations selected for the protest are located in three different parts of Delhi. Ramlila Maidan is near the old city, Burari is on the outskirts of the city and CBD Ground is in East Delhi. All three have one thing in common far from the heart of the national capital and far from the corridors of power
Ramlila Maidan – Inaccessible from Lutyens?
Ramlila Maidan is a large plot of land in Old Delhi and is traditionally used to host the annual Ramlila. The land was used for religious festivals, large political gatherings and meetings, and entertainment events.
The 10-acre open-air site is located in New Delhi, strategically located between New Delhi Railway Station and Delhi Gate, and has been highly regarded as the epicenter of major political changes in India.
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Although the land is about three kilometers from Jantar Mantar, the city’s traffic and congested roads make it practically remote from the energy corridors. It will not be easy for protesters to march towards parliament or other seats of power, as they did during the protest on 20 Janta cockroach party (CJP).
On 25 June 1975, Ramlila Maidan was the site of an anti-Indira Gandhi rally, just before the Emergency was declared, where Jayaprakash Narayan recited Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s famous poem “Singhasan Khali Karo Ki Janta Aati Hai” (“Free the throne” for the people).
The 2011 Anna movement held here played a role in Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led UPA government.
Burari Ground – 20 km away
Another protest site, Burari ground, is roughly 20 kilometers from central Delhi and the Indian Parliament in outer Delhi.
Located on the northern edge of the capital, the sprawling site is chosen specifically to accommodate larger crowds while maintaining daily city traffic and central safety zones without interruption and away from the Lutyens Zone.
CBD Ground Shahdara – 12 km towards east
Like Burari ground, the third protest site, CBD (Central Business District) Ground is located in Shahdara East Delhi. The land is about 12 kilometers from the Parliament of India and central Delhi.
