Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated sites for protests and sit-ins in the Indian capital, according to a notice issued on Monday by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. The decision follows a recommendation from a committee formed by the central Home Ministry, and the notice identifies Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Maidan in East Delhi as the three alternative venues for demonstrations.
Three alternative venues identified
The notice names Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Maidan as the locations designated for demonstrations in place of Jantar Mantar. CBD Maidan is specified as being in East Delhi. The announcement does not provide further details about the locations, their capacity or arrangements for protest participants.
The change concerns the list of designated protest sites. Jantar Mantar is no longer included in that list, while the three named grounds are identified as the alternatives. The notice, as reported, does not state that demonstrations are prohibited throughout Delhi or explain how the change may affect any particular planned gathering. Any wider interpretation of the decision would require information beyond the details announced.
For groups planning a demonstration or sit-in, the site designation is the central practical change. Organisers who had considered Jantar Mantar as a venue will need to take account of its removal from the designated list and the identification of the three alternative grounds. The notice does not specify whether any additional process applies to protests at those venues, so the announcement alone does not establish further requirements.
Decision follows Home Ministry committee recommendation
The Delhi Police notice attributes the decision to a recommendation made by a committee formed by the central Home Ministry. Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued the notice on Monday. The information released does not identify the committee’s members, explain how it reached its recommendation or set out the reasoning behind the change.
That distinction is important: the notice establishes the administrative outcome and the venues named for demonstrations, but the details available do not provide a fuller account of the committee’s deliberations. It also does not state whether the designated-site list will be reviewed again, or whether the three alternatives are intended to serve all demonstrations and sit-ins regardless of their size or purpose.
The announcement therefore provides a clear change in the named venues without detailing how the alternatives were selected. Ramlila Maidan and Burari Maidan are listed alongside CBD Maidan in East Delhi, but no comparative information about access, facilities or location is included in the notice details reported.
What the notice establishes
The reported decision has two direct elements: Jantar Mantar has been removed from Delhi’s designated protest-site list, and three other venues have been identified as alternatives. It was made following the Home Ministry committee’s recommendation and formalised through a notice issued by the Delhi Police commissioner.
The announcement does not, on the information reported, amount to a blanket statement that protests are banned in the capital. It addresses Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated site and names other locations for demonstrations. The notice also does not describe the effect on gatherings already planned or underway, or outline any transition arrangements for organisers.
With the change now announced, the immediate point for protest organisers is that Jantar Mantar is no longer among the designated venues named by Delhi Police. Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Maidan are the alternatives set out in the notice. Further details on the committee’s reasons, the practical arrangements at those sites and any procedures for individual demonstrations were not included in the information made public alongside the announcement.
