From dissent to de-notification: Jantar Mantar and shifting protest addresses in Delhi

New Delhi: For decades, citizens from far and wide have reached Delhi to voice their dissent. The capital has offered them several addresses -- first, the Boat Club lawns within earshot of Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament, and then Jantar Mantar, some distance away. Now, large protests must move even further from the seat of power, to Ramlila Maidan, or further still to north Delhi's Burari ground and east Delhi's CBD ground.

Jantar Mantar -- a stretch that became synonymous with protests that often changed the course of governance and policy -- seems to have been relieved of its role as a designated venue for demonstrations.

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In a standing order issued on October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar de-notified Jantar Mantar Road as a designated protest site, naming Ramlila Maidan (Central Delhi), Burari Ground (North Delhi) and CBD Ground (East Delhi) as three new venues for large demonstrations.

But the Jantar Mantar's rise as the capital's protest hub was itself part of a longer history of shifting addresses for public dissent.

For decades after Independence, the Boat Club lawns near India Gate and Vijay Chowk were among Delhi's principal venues for large demonstrations. Protesters also camped behind the Red Fort for days on end, awaiting the seat of power to wake up to their demands.

Historian Sohail Hashmi said the tradition of public protest in Delhi went back decades, with large gatherings once filling the stretch between the Boat Club and India Gate.

In October 1988, farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait led a massive gathering of farmers at the Boat Club lawns. Thousands of farmers, accompanied by their cattle, occupied the area for days, putting pressure on the then Rajiv Gandhi government to address their demands.

The agitation brought the issue of who could protest, and where, into sharper focus. The scale of the gathering, its proximity to key government establishments and concerns over security and public order prompted authorities to reconsider the use of the Boat Club as a protest venue.

Restrictions on demonstrations followed, and by 1993, Jantar Mantar emerged as an alternative site.

Jantar Mantar offered a location close enough to the seat of power for protesters to draw the attention of the government, while being more manageable than the expansive Boat Club lawns.

The Supreme Court, in its July 2018 judgment in Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan vs Union of India, traced the changing locations of protests in Delhi, from Ramlila Maidan to the Boat Club, and eventually to Jantar Mantar.

It noted that police had shifted demonstrations from the Boat Club because they were obstructing traffic. Police designated Jantar Mantar for gatherings of up to 5,000 people, while larger demonstrations were to be held at Ramlila Maidan.

Over the years, Jantar Mantar became a focal point for political parties, student groups, trade unions, farmers, activists and ordinary citizens. Demonstrations on issues ranging from corruption and women's safety to education and electoral reforms and farmers' demands made the stretch of road a familiar site of public mobilisation.

Yet, the history of the site stretches much further back than its role in modern Indian politics.

Also Read: Jantar Mantar denotified as protest site, Delhi designates three new venues

Jantar Mantar, built in 1724 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II under Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, was as an astronomical observatory. Its large masonry instruments, including the Samrat Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra and Ram Yantra, were designed to measure the movement of celestial bodies and calculate astronomical positions.

Centuries later, the road outside the observatory acquired a different identity, becoming a place where citizens gathered to question those in power.

But the growing number of demonstrations also brought complaints from residents over noise, garbage, temporary structures and protesters camping at the site for prolonged periods.

On October 5, 2017, the National Green Tribunal ordered a ban on protests at Jantar Mantar and directed authorities to shift demonstrators to Ramlila Maidan.

The matter reached Supreme Court, which set aside the blanket prohibition in July 2018. The court said a complete ban was not the solution and called for guidelines to regulate demonstrations while balancing citizens' right to protest with residents' right to live peacefully.

It suggested measures such as restricting the number of participants, earmarking specific areas for demonstrations, regulating the use of loudspeakers and preventing prolonged encampments. The judgment said authorities needed to regulate protests so that demonstrators could exercise their rights without causing unnecessary hardship to residents.

Following the judgment, Delhi Police issued guidelines allowing protests at Jantar Mantar subject to restrictions, including limits on the number of participants. Larger gatherings could be held at Ramlila Maidan.

The latest order de-notifying Jantar Mantar cited a committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to examine alternative venues for citizens to organise protests and demonstrations in place of the existing designated site.

Based on the committee's recommendations, Jantar Mantar was removed from the list of designated protest sites, the order said. Instead, Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground have been designated as new venues.

The decision marks another change in the capital's designated spaces for dissent. As Jantar Mantar loses its official place on that list, Delhi's long history of shifting protest venues continues, with the question of where citizens can assemble to make their voices heard remaining as relevant as ever.