Jantar Mantar 2.0 foiled as Delhi turns fortress

From top opposition leaders and CJP brass to influencers and ordinary protesters, the police detained everyone, effectively nipping the campaign in the bud.

Among detainees were former CMs – Mamta Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Manik Sarkar and Pinarayi Vijayan; CJP leaders Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Rana and Saurav Das and influencer Dhruv Rathee.

Today’s ground preparations on security marked a sharp contrast to the July 20 protest over NEET-UG paper leak, when a sudden surge of protesters had exposed gaps in police arrangements and led to a baton charges and reported use of pellet guns.

This time, the emphasis was on preventing protesters from assembling rather than managing the crowd after it had gathered, Ajay Kumar, a senior Delhi Police official, said while speaking to The Tribune.

Barricades, preventive detentions, restrictions on movement and security checks at multiple locations made it difficult for demonstrators to reach Jantar Mantar or regroup elsewhere.

The deployment of police and paramilitary personnel was at more than 35,000. The crackdown extended beyond the protest site. Demonstrators were detained near Connaught Place, Bangla Sahib, Minto Bridge, Dak Khana and other locations. The Delhi Police had refused permission for the protest, citing the timing of the application, alleged violations of conditions during previous demonstrations and concerns over law and order, public safety and traffic disruption. Restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were also reported.

The immediate result was that the planned congregation did not materialise on the scale its organisers had sought. Yet the operation raised questions about the cost of securing the Capital, as commuters, traders and other residents faced substantial disruption.

Stone pelting was also reported at Connaught Place and near Akashwani Bhawan in Central Delhi, leaving two police personnel injured.

The police action reached the CJP’s leadership before the proposed gathering could take shape. Party leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai from their flight itself.

Following his detention, Dipke handed responsibility for the agitation to party national organisational in-charge Ajinkya Shinde. In a video message, Shinde urged supporters not to retreat if the police stopped them on the way to Jantar Mantar, asking them to sit wherever they were stopped and turn that location into their protest site.

The appeal did not translate into a single, consolidated gathering. Instead, the police detained demonstrators at scattered locations, limiting the scope for a coordinated assembly.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj were among those reported detained, while Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and party MPs were also taken into custody. TMC MP Saket Gokhale alleged that Banerjee and five MPs were taken to the Dwarka North police station after being driven around in a police van for nearly two hours. He said Banerjee had announced an indefinite sit-in inside the police station. These claims were based on the leaders’ statements and social media posts.

Student support falls short of NEET-UG mobilisation

Beyond the security operation, Saturday’s protest exposed a difference in the CJP’s ability to mobilise young people.

CJP’s earlier agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak had drawn students and opposition supporters around an issue directly linked to examinations, education and career prospects.

This time, the demand for Kumar’s resignation over concerns surrounding the SIR of electoral rolls did not produce a comparable show of student participation.

Many protesters believed that since it is a political issue that’s why people are restraining themselves.

The All-India Students’ Association joined the protest led by its president Neha Bora who was detained from the INA.

Rohan (21), a student from Delhi University, claimed that heavy police deployment in the North Campus prevented students from leaving hostels and paying guest accommodations. A JNU student alleged that barricades were put up inside the campus and Internet services were suspended, but said students still came out to protest.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk criticised the detentions, describing India as being in an “undeclared emergency”. In a post on X, Wangchuk said he would be compelled to consider an indefinite fast or a march if the detained leaders were not released within 24 hours. He said he had appealed for unity and peace before the protest and had not expected the leadership to be detained.

Separately, Ratna Singh, CJP’s head of legal affairs, approached the Saket court seeking an FIR against police personnel, alleging that she had been unlawfully prevented from joining the protest. Her appeal was dismissed.

The disruption was not confined to demonstrators. Barricades, traffic diversions, road closures and reported interruptions to Internet services left commuters struggling to navigate central Delhi.

Passengers faced difficulties after train cancellations and Metro station closures. A traveller from Gujarat, Rohit, who needed to reach Ghaziabad, said he had to travel by rickshaw to the New Delhi railway station after failing to find a connecting train at Hazrat Nizamuddin. Om Prakash from Sasaram in Bihar said he reached the station three hours before the scheduled departure of Mahabodhi Express without receiving information that it had been cancelled.

DTC bus drivers said routes were diverted at short notice, in some cases adding 15 to 20 km to journeys. Drivers reportedly relied on mobile maps, but Internet disruption in parts of New Delhi made navigation more difficult. Commuters also reported problems booking cabs and making digital payments, while traffic congestion delayed even ambulances.

Auto-rickshaw driver Mohsin said a journey of four to five kms that normally cost Rs 100 to Rs 150 was fetching Rs 250 to Rs 300 amid diversions and barricading. Some commuters were forced to walk one to three kilometres with their luggage.

Traders reported losses as security concerns and transport disruption kept customers away. Traders’ estimate puts the day’s business losses at around Rs 2,000 crore across major markets, including Sadar Bazaar, Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Rai Market and Bhagirath Place.

Khan Market Traders’ Association president Sanjeev Mehra estimated that a shop could lose Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh in a day while continuing to bear rent and salary costs.

Should Jantar Mantar remain the protest venue?

Saturday’s restrictions have also revived the debate over whether Jantar Mantar is an appropriate location for demonstrations that affect central Delhi.

The area houses Parliament, government offices, Supreme Court judges’ residences and diplomatic establishments, besides major roads used by commuters.

Former Congress MP JP Agarwal said the right to protest must be protected but suggested the government should consider changing the venue if public inconvenience had become excessive.

BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri backed the idea of identifying another location, while former Union minister Vijay Goel said the government should consider an alternative if demonstrations repeatedly create law-and-order problems.

Jantar Mantar became a major protest venue in the early 1990s after restrictions were tightened around Boat Club near India Gate. The latter had hosted large demonstrations, including the 1988 farmers’ agitation led by Mahendra Singh Tikait.

Over 300 women cops from UP deployed in Delhi

More than 300 women police personnel from Uttar Pradesh were deployed in Delhi on Saturday to assist the Delhi Police during the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, as authorities mounted extensive security arrangements across the Capital. The deployment was ordered from the office of the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Uttar Pradesh. Twenty-five women constables were sent from each of several districts to assist the Delhi Police in maintaining law and order during the protest.