Anti-reservation protest erupts at Jantar Mantar, Delhi police detain several protesters

New Delhi:  The Delhi Police on Friday detained several protesters who gathered at Jantar Mantar for an anti-reservation demonstration, with security tightened in and around the protest site amid a heavy turnout, a senior officer said.

Visuals showed police personnel detaining protesters — a majority of whom were men — as a large number of people gathered at the site carrying banners, posters and saffron flags, and raising slogans against caste-based reservation.

The protesters were mobilised through social media for the demonstration, demanding that economic criteria be given precedence over caste in determining eligibility for government support and reservation.

Police deployed personnel and paramilitary forces at key points in the area ahead of the protest and put up barricades to regulate the movement of people towards Jantar Mantar.

The Delhi Police said no permission had been granted for any protest, procession, demonstration or assembly at Jantar Mantar. However, a no-objection certificate (NOC) was issued for a peaceful protest under the banner of “Reservation Hatao Andolan” at a different venue — Ramlila Ground — on Friday, according to an official communication by the office of the Central District DCP.

The NOC allowed a maximum of 500 people to gather at the Ramlila Ground until 4 pm, with police stating that it had “no objection” to a protest at Ramlila Maidan from a law and order point of view.

The protest campaign was spearheaded by “Reservation Hatao Andolan”, an Instagram-based page that subsequently appealed to people to join a physical demonstration at Jantar Mantar on August 21. The page has 5.6 million followers on Instagram.

The protesters demanded that economic condition be considered while deciding who should receive government support, including assistance for education, coaching and other needs.

“Our demand is that economic condition should be considered while deciding who needs government support. A poor person, irrespective of caste, should be provided assistance for education, coaching and other needs,” a protester associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha said.

Another participant sought a review of the existing reservation system, saying its benefits did not always reach the most disadvantaged sections.

“We have been raising this issue for several years. Our contention is that the government should examine whether the present system is achieving its intended purpose and whether benefits are reaching people at the grassroots level,” he said.

Some protesters also called for the introduction of a creamy-layer criterion in reservation and sought changes in policies relating to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

“We are not saying that economically weaker people should be left without support. We are saying that assistance should be targeted at those who need it, including through scholarships, fee support and coaching,” another protester said.

The protesters also raised issues relating to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and higher education policies, including the University Grants Commission framework.

A participant also questioned the continuation of reservation provisions decades after their introduction, calling for a review of the policy in the context of present-day social and economic conditions.

“The circumstances have changed considerably over the decades. There should be a wider discussion on whether the existing framework needs to be reviewed and how economic disadvantage can be addressed without discrimination,” he said.

Some protesters alleged that internet jammers had been deployed around the site, making it difficult to access social media from the area. The claim could not be independently verified.