From Anna Agitation To CJP Stir, Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Has Served As Venue For Several Key Protests

Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a site de-notified as a designated protest location, has been a hub for significant agitations over the past three decades. This central Delhi landmark has hosted various protests, addressing issues ranging from stricter anti-corruption laws to women's safety concerns, as well as paper leaks and communalism.

Initially serving as a protest site for decades post-independence, Jantar Mantar gained prominence in October 1988 when Mahendra Singh Tikait led a week-long farmer's protest at the Boat Club lawns. Concerns about public order saw the government cease allowing gatherings there. By 1993, Jantar Mantar's strategic location near Parliament and key ministries made it an alternative protest site, despite its smaller size and limited entry/exit points, which facilitated law enforcement management.

Early demonstrations included the "Jail Bharo" protest in 1993, where 33 organizations rallied against the government's economic policies and communalism. In the United Progressive Alliance era, Jantar Mantar gained renewed attention when Anna Hazare conducted a five-day fast in 2011, demanding a stronger "Jan Lokpal Bill" to combat corruption.

This protest significantly impacted the government and contributed to the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party. The following year, protests advocating for women's safety followed the Delhi gang-rape and murder incident, with Jantar Mantar witnessing part of this mobilization. In 2013, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 was passed, introducing tougher penalties for sexual offenses and safeguarding survivor rights.

A decade later, in 2023, Jantar Mantar hosted an unprecedented sit-in by prominent wrestlers, including Olympic medalists, protesting against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They accused him of sexual harassment, but a Delhi court acquitted Singh and his assistant Vinod Tomar in 2023. Recently, protests at Jantar Mantar have centered on allegations of irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) admissions, culminating in Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, a rare occurrence in Prime Minister Modi's administration.

On Monday, the Delhi Police officially de-designated Jantar Mantar as a protest site, after the Cockroach Janta Party requested permission for a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's handling of the special intensive revision.