Former IPS officer and ex-Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Tuesday called Jantar Mantar unsuitable as a protest site, adding that turning it into a protest site was a mistake that remained uncorrected for years.
"During my lifetime of policing the city of Delhi, I have seen protest sites shift from the Prime Minister's residence, Teen Murti Marg (then Mrs Gandhi's residence), to the roads of Lutyens' Delhi in the early 1970s, to India Gate in the 1980s, Boat Club and then Jantar Mantar," she said, adding that every city requires an open space for democratic expression, which we also call a protest.
“Jantar Mantar was least suited to be a protest site in view of its narrow lanes and proximity to sensitive buildings and offices. I think the administration of that time erred in taking that decision and did not correct all this while,” she posted on X.
“And the consequences are there to see. Ramlila grounds and others have been identified by the MHA. Perhaps the change needed a Judicial nudge. Now we need a clear security and functioning plan for Ramlila ground to be stated when according permissions,” she added.
Her statement came in response to the Delhi Police decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging restrictions on protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and the designation of alternative sites for public demonstrations.
The plea raised concerns over the availability and suitability of designated protest venues in the national capital and argued that the top court had earlier recognised Jantar Mantar as a designated site for protests and rejected Ramlila Maidan as an unsuitable alternative. The plea questioned the rationale behind the restrictions and the selection of other locations for demonstrations.
