With Jantar Mantar de-notified as a designated protest site, Delhi Police has identified three alternatives: Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi. Each comes with problems that could make organised public demonstrations significantly harder.
Ramlila Maidan, about 4 km from Jantar Mantar, is the closest to central Delhi and has a history of hosting political rallies. But it costs Rs 50,000 per day to book, plus a Rs 55,000 refundable deposit, and requires a no-objection certificate from the traffic police. Only the entire available section can be booked — there is no option for smaller groups to use a portion. The venue is already heavily booked for Ramlila performances and fairs during the festive season.
CBD Ground in Shahdara, also 12 acres, sits in a densely built-up area surrounded by malls, hotels and wedding venues. Local resident welfare associations have questioned how barricading and traffic management could work there without disrupting the neighbourhood.
Burari Ground is the largest at around 50 acres, but it is roughly 18 km from Jantar Mantar and far removed from Delhi’s central administrative district. During the 2024-25 farmers’ protests, farmer unions rejected it as a venue, calling it an “open jail” whose isolation would reduce any demonstration’s visibility and impact.
The shift raises a pointed question about the relationship between physical proximity and political accountability. Jantar Mantar placed protesters within walking distance of Parliament. The new sites push them to the margins. As one city chronicler put it, protest sites need to be spaces where citizens can bring their grievances close to the people they want to hold accountable — not just open stretches of land.
Source: Hindustan Times
