Kiran Bedi | New Delhi, Oct. 13: Former IPS officer and ex-Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has said Jantar Mantar was unsuitable as a protest site because of its narrow lanes and proximity to sensitive buildings and government offices.
Kiran Bedi also called for a clear security and operational plan for Ramlila Maidan whenever authorities grant permission for demonstrations. In a post on X, she recalled how designated protest locations in Delhi had changed over several decades.
She said protest sites had shifted from the Prime Minister’s residence and Teen Murti Marg to roads in Lutyens’ Delhi, India Gate, Boat Club and eventually Jantar Mantar.
Kiran Bedi Calls for Better Planning of Protest Sites
Bedi said every city needed open spaces for democratic expression but argued that urban planners often failed to provide suitable locations for protests.
She said Jantar Mantar’s narrow lanes and proximity to sensitive offices made it an unsuitable choice. Bedi also criticised the administration for selecting the site and failing to reconsider the decision over the years.
Referring to the Ministry of Home Affairs identifying alternative locations, she called for a clear security and operational plan for Ramlila Maidan to be communicated when protest permissions are granted.
The remarks came after Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site in an order made public on Monday. Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued the standing order on October 11, naming Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternative locations.
Ramlila Maidan is around three kilometres from Jantar Mantar, while CBD Ground in Shahdara is approximately 12 kilometres away. Burari Ground in north Delhi is about 23 kilometres away. Jantar Mantar is roughly one kilometre from Parliament House.
The decision drew criticism from Opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the move, saying democracy no longer mattered to the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
CJP co-convener Saurav Das also called the decision “unacceptable” and said his party rejected what it described as an arbitrary move.
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