A thousand slogans echoed here - but it could be the end for iconic Delhi protest site
News Source
β’Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:41:58 GMT
π° What Happened
Delhi Police says Jantar Mantar, a road in central Delhi used for protests for over 30 years, will no longer be a designated protest site. It sits about 3 km from parliament.
The decision follows a huge protest this summer led by the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth group. Tens of thousands came, and the education minister later resigned.
Protesters are now being sent to three other sites. Unlike Jantar Mantar, which was free, all three charge tens of thousands of rupees a day. Two of the sites are far from parliament.
π The Backstory
Jantar Mantar is an 18th-century observatory built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the 1720s. The protests were held on the road beside it, not inside.
The road became a protest site in 1993, after the government stopped allowing demonstrations at the Boat Club lawns near parliament. One historian found that governments have pushed protest sites further from power since the 1960s.
Since then, farmers, students, ex-soldiers and grieving parents have gathered there. Some camps lasted for months and forced governments to listen.
π― Why It Matters
Protest is one of the few ways ordinary people can pressure leaders. Moving it far from parliament and charging fees makes it harder for poor people to be heard.
Delhi Police says Jantar Mantar, a road in central Delhi used for protests for over 30 years, will no longer be a designated protest site. It sits about 3 km from parliament.
The decision follows a huge protest this summer led by the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth group. Tens of thousands came, and the education minister later resigned.
Protesters are now being sent to three other sites. Unlike Jantar Mantar, which was free, all three charge tens of thousands of rupees a day. Two of the sites are far from parliament.
Jantar Mantar is an 18th-century observatory built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the 1720s. The protests were held on the road beside it, not inside.
The road became a protest site in 1993, after the government stopped allowing demonstrations at the Boat Club lawns near parliament. One historian found that governments have pushed protest sites further from power since the 1960s.
Since then, farmers, students, ex-soldiers and grieving parents have gathered there. Some camps lasted for months and forced governments to listen.
Protest is one of the few ways ordinary people can pressure leaders. Moving it far from parliament and charging fees makes it harder for poor people to be heard.