Reservation Hatao Aandolan: Massive gathering at Jantar Mantar; security upped | Delhi News
NEW DELHI: A sizeable crowd gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Friday to demonstrate against caste-based reservation, prompting the Delhi Police and Central Forces to step up security at the designated protest venue.Police personnel and security forces were deployed at the site as protesters arrived in large numbers. Barricades were also installed as a precautionary measure to ensure maintenance of law and order during the gathering, news agency ANI reported.The protesters demanded changes to the existing caste-based reservation system and called for a review of the policy.The gathering took place despite the Delhi Police having made it clear that permission had not been granted for the proposed demonstration. Small groups of people had started arriving at Jantar Mantar earlier in the day for the planned protest.On Thursday, Delhi Police issued a clarification stating that no permission had been given for a protest on reservation reforms at Jantar Mantar on August 21. It also described social media videos claiming that permission had been granted as “false and misleading”.In a statement, Delhi Police said, “Various videos are circulating regarding the alleged grant of permission for a protest on the issue of reservation reforms at Jantar Mantar on 21 August, which is false and misleading.“The police clarified that no permission has been granted to anyone to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar on August 21.”“It is further clarified that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS (erstwhile Section 144 CrPC) are already in force in the New Delhi District,” Delhi Police said.The force also urged the public not to amplify, forward, depend on or circulate unverified claims concerning permission for the proposed protest.Under the prohibitory orders, protest marches, processions, demonstrations and assemblies involving five or more people are strictly prohibited. Delhi Police also warned that legal action could be taken against those found creating or disseminating fake news.Security arrangements at Jantar Mantar included personnel from the Delhi Police as well as paramilitary forces, with the deployment intended to prevent any disruption amid the gathering.The controversy over the protest followed a post by an organisation’s official Instagram page, which has 5.6 million followers. The page shared a poster on Thursday announcing a “peaceful protest” at Jantar Mantar and appealed to people to attend the gathering at 2pm on August 21.The call for the demonstration was made by the “Reservation Hatao Andolan”, an Instagram page that has gained significant traction by adopting protest-mobilisation tactics of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The platform has now called for a physical demonstration against the reservation system, ANI reported.(With agency inputs)
