Delhi Police on Thursday termed claims regarding permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar on August 21—concerning the issue of reservation reform—as fake and misleading. Delhi Police clarified that no permission has been granted to anyone for a protest at Jantar Mantar on August 21. The development comes after several videos circulating on social media suggested that permission has been obtained, but the police have dismissed these as misleading.
Protest was called by 'Reservation Hatao Andolan'
The protest was called by "Reservation Hatao Andolan", an Instagram-based page that quickly built momentum by adopting the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest-mobilisation tactics. The digital campaign has now called for a physical, anti-reservation protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday (August 21).
The police also clarified that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS are already in force in the New Delhi district. These orders ban protests, processions, marches, and the assembly of five or more people. The Delhi Police has appealed to the public not to share or forward unverified information on social media. The police warned that legal action could be taken against those who create or circulate fake news.
Here's what Delhi Police said on protest at Jantar Mantar
Claims regarding permission for a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar over reservation reform had circulated on social media previously as well, prompting the police to issue a clarification regarding the matter at that time.
It should be noted that the Reservation Hatao Andolan (RHA) came into existence as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest ended at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The RHA started out as an Instagram page with the goal of ending ‘casteism’ and ‘reservation.’
The Instagram page of the RHA currently has 5.7 million followers and some of the supporters of the anti-reservation movement have been calling for a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar on Friday (21st August). However, the Delhi police clarified that permission for such a protest has not been granted.
Activists demand 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament
In the meantime, some of the women activists led by the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), affiliated to the CPI(ML) Liberation, staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar on August 7, demanding immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures, without linking it with the proposed delimitation exercise or the census.
The protest, organised under the banner of National Coalition for Women's Reservation, was attended by AIPWA along with several other women's organisations. As per the updates from the organisers, women from different parts of Delhi and neighbouring states participated in the demonstration. The women protesters also demanded the women's reservation be implemented during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament for the existing seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Apart from this, they also urged the Centre not to make the reservation contingent upon the proposed delimitation and the census exercise.
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