Jantar Mantar denotified as protest site on MHA panel’s recommendation: Delhi Police tells SC
Jantar Mantar denotified as protest site on MHA panel’s recommendation: Delhi Police tells SC
New Delhi, Nov 3: The Delhi Police on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Jantar Mantar is no longer suitable for holding protests and that a public road should not have been designated as a permanent protest site, citing concerns over public safety, traffic congestion, emergency access and security of vital installations.
In a counter affidavit filed before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant in a separate petition by Swaty Singh, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar said the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue was taken after considering the recommendations of a committee constituted by the Union home ministry, which had unanimously found the site unsuitable for protests and demonstrations.
The commissioner said the decision was not taken in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s October 9 order in another matter, as the proposal to change the designated protest venue had been under consideration of the government for a considerable period.
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The committee was constituted on August 26, and its report was received by the home ministry in September, much before the apex court’s October 9 order, the affidavit said.
Kumar said Jantar Mantar witnesses over 1,300 protests and demonstrations annually, while its assessed maximum capacity is around 1,500 people. The large gatherings often constrain access for emergency services such as ambulances and fire brigades and create the risk of stampedes, he said.
Pointing to the impact on the surrounding area, the affidavit said 78 foreign embassies, diplomatic missions and offices of international organisations are situated within a radius of about 3-4 kilometres of Jantar Mantar.
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Additionally, 99 offices of the Central government, ministries and autonomous institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India, are located in the vicinity and have a daily footfall of around 1.46 lakh people, it said.
The area also has around 7,017 private residential housing units with approximately 36,685 residents and 5,349 government housing units accommodating around 27,881 people, the affidavit said, adding that protests and traffic congestion affect their daily lives.
The commissioner further said that between August 1 and 27, the concerned stretch of Jantar Mantar recorded around 250 distress calls, 119 FIRs relating to theft, including of motor vehicles, more than 254 property-loss claims and 23 FIRs relating to public-order violations, rioting and defacement.
The committee recommended Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi, CBD Ground in East Delhi and Burari Ground in north-west Delhi as alternative venues for protests and demonstrations.
The affidavit said the alternative locations offered a better balance between the right to peaceful protest and the requirements of public order, safety, traffic management and uninterrupted emergency services.–(PTI)