Delhi Police De-Notifies Jantar Mantar As Protest Site, Designates 3 Alternate Venues
Delhi Police has officially de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue, leaving no officially permitted dharna site within the New Delhi district and the Lutyens zone. The decision arrived after leaders sought permission to stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, with authorities citing law and order considerations. The administration has instead designated three alternative venues for demonstrations: Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi, Burari in Outer Delhi, and the CBD ground in East Delhi. Meanwhile, political tensions escalated in the capital as BJP women MPs staged demonstrations outside the Congress headquarters demanding accountability over women's safety issues. Concurrently, INDIA bloc leaders gathered at the Constitution Club of India to organise a march towards the Supreme Court of India to submit a petition to the Chief Justice of India, amid heavy police and security force deployment across central Delhi.
INDIA Bloc March To Supreme Court, BJP Mahila Morcha Protests Outside AICC Office
High political drama unfolded in the national capital as opposition INDIA bloc leaders gathered at the Constitution Club to march towards the Supreme Court of India. Opposition representatives stated that their march aimed to seek an audience with the Chief Justice of India and file a petition after previous approaches to other institutions and protest requests were turned down. In response to the planned march, massive deployments of Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel, including the Central Reserve Police Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police, were positioned across Rafi Marg and Barakhamba Road to prevent the parliamentarians from advancing. Simultaneously, Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha workers held a protest outside the Congress headquarters, breaching police barricades and demanding accountability from Rahul Gandhi following the dismissal of Congress Member of Parliament Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from Jawaharlal Nehru University over sexual harassment complaints.
INDIA Bloc March To Supreme Court, BJP Protests Outside Congress HQ Amid Section 163
High drama unfolded in the national capital as opposing political demonstrations prompted heavy security deployments and the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Outside the Constitution Club of India, INDIA bloc leaders and Members of Parliament gathered for their 'Chalo Delhi' march, intending to move towards the Supreme Court of India. Paramilitary forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force, and Delhi Police set up multi-layer barricades to deter the marchers. Concurrently, Bharatiya Janata Party women workers and Members of Parliament staged a protest outside the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. The demonstrators burnt effigies of Rahul Gandhi and Lok Sabha MP Bimol Akoijam, demanding disciplinary action and Akoijam's resignation over allegations of sexual harassment linked to his past tenure at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Security personnel restricted gathering movements as both sides engaged in demonstrations across central Delhi.
Rahul Gandhi on Protests: 'The Protest Is to Remove Gyanesh Kumar and Then... Remove Mr Prime Minister'
Addressing reporters during ongoing demonstrations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted that the nationwide movement operates without a rigid plan, comparing the agitation to Lord Shiva's tandav. When asked about strategy following visits to Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Supreme Court, he stated that the movement requires spontaneous resistance rather than elaborate schemes, citing the Bharat Jodo Yatra where diverse sections of society walked together. He clarified that disparate agitations across India are unified, stating, 'The protest is to remove Gyanesh Kumar and then after that remove Mr Prime Minister.' Gandhi affirmed that his side will support and protect any civil society group defending the Constitution. Regarding communication with the Union government, he noted that intermediaries have approached associates around him, but reiterated that his stance remains transparent and expressed publicly on the streets. He also confirmed that evidence is being compiled to present before the President of India.