Jantar Mantar denotified in its second busiest year since 2016 | Data

The Delhi Police’s move, on Monday, to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated venue for protests and demonstrations comes in the year when the site has witnessed perhaps the highest number of protests, at least since 2016. 

Located around two kilometres away from the country’s parliament, Jantar Mantar has become synonymous with public dissent in the national capital.

An analysis of data from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) shows that Jantar Mantar has witnessed more than 600 events of demonstrations of varying scales in the last decade. Over 80 events of demonstration were reported in the site so far in 2026, the second-highest number of events recorded per year since 2016.

The data used for this analysis is restricted to verified events of peaceful protests, violent demonstrations, and protests with interventions, as published by ACLED. Event descriptions were analysed to restrict events of demonstrations in Jantar Mantar and include protest marches that either began or ended in Jantar Mantar. As per ACLED’s Codebook, a demonstration is a public assembly of three or more people for a shared cause, which turns violent when demonstrators engage in destructive actions. It does not imply the demonstrators initiated the violence. 

While the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in June and October 2026, demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Education, and Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner of India, have gained a lot of attention this year, Jantar Mantar has been the hotbed for several other crucial protests.

This includes the Nirbhaya protests in 2012, where thousands gathered to protest against sexual violence, protests by ex-servicemen spanning over two years over implementation delays of the ‘One Rank One Pension’ policy from 2015, and Tamil Nadu’s farmer protests in 2017 for drought relief, during which skulls of deceased farmers were displayed. 

The share of protests where a high share of students participated also increased significantly in the recent years. This was analysed by identifying whether students were either the main or the associate actor in these demonstrations.

The share of protests with high student participation reached its peak in the ongoing year. Nearly half of the demonstrations recorded in the current year involved a high share of student participation. 

The move to denotify a site that has gained traction as an established site of dissent as a designated protest site and allocate three other venues comes shortly after the Delhi police detained a large number of protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the row over Special Intensive Revision. 

The Delhi Police designated three new sites in place of Jantar Mantar — Ramlila Maidan, CBD Ground, and Burari Ground. Unlike Jantar Mantar, where protesters could gather and gain the attention of the Parliament, government officials and media because of its proximity, these sites are farther from both the Parliament and Jantar Mantar. 

Activists and politicians who have criticised this move have pointed out that these sites could make the protests less accessible and less visible. Another concerning factor is that gathering here requires a prior booking of the venue with a designated fee. 

News reports also indicate that organising demonstrations in Ramlila Maidan or the CBD ground could incur a cost of more than a lakh per day, including a security deposit, posing a financial burden on the protesters. 

Further, Ramlila Maidan is very busy with pre-bookings in festive seasons. Ramlila Maidan and CBD grounds are surrounded by busy commercial areas and housing communities, raising questions over the potential impact of protests on nearby communities and businesses, as reported by The Hindu. 

Gauri Singavarapu and Sachin Swaraj are interning with The Hindu Data Team