Delhi anti-quota protest draws 300, over 20 detained

On Sunday, roughly 300 protesters gathered at Connaught Place in Delhi to voice their opposition to caste-based reservation and advocate for reforms to the quota system, according to officials speaking to news agency PTI. The demonstrators chanted slogans and displayed placards demanding that government support be directed towards economically disadvantaged individuals, regardless of their caste.

Over 20 protesters were detained and removed from the site as the unauthorized gathering came to an end. Police maintained a presence at Connaught Place as the protest was cleared from the area.

Key demands raised by the protesters included the introduction of a creamy-layer criterion and a comprehensive review of the existing reservation framework. They also called for changes in policies concerning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. The protesters emphasized that they were not against reservation but instead sought reforms to ensure that its benefits reached genuinely disadvantaged people across all communities.

A protester told PTI, "We are not against reservation; we want reforms in reservation. The government should understand that poor people from all communities also face difficulties, and their concerns should be heard."

The demonstration was part of a broader movement mobilized primarily through social media. The Reservation Hatao Andolan, an Instagram-based page with approximately 5.6 million followers, had called on its followers to join the physical demonstration in Delhi after launching an online campaign focused on reservation reforms. Two days prior, hundreds of people had also gathered at Jantar Mantar following the campaign's call.

Police detained several protesters who had assembled at the site, while another police-approved demonstration under the same banner had been permitted at Ramlila Ground for up to 500 people until 4 pm.