‘What’s next? Denotifying democracy?’ — CJP hits out at Centre after Jantar Mantar stripped of protest site status

Delhi Police has denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated site for protests and designated three new locations for demonstrations

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday strongly condemned the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site, taking a sharp dig at the Centre, asking if "denotifying democracy" was next.

Delhi Police has denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated site for protests and designated three new locations for demonstrations, according to an official order. The move comes amid heightened security arrangements in the national capital following calls to gather for protests at Jantar Mantar.

Taking to X, the party wrote: “Jantar Mantar denotified as a designated protest site. What’s next? Denotifying Democracy? Dictator is really Terrified!”

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Delhi Police said the change followed recommendations from a committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to examine alternative venues for protests and demonstrations.

Delhi Police designated Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as new venues for protests and demonstrations.

The Cockroach Janta Party condemned the decision, calling it an assault on people’s right to protest and asking whether the Centre would next be “denotifying democracy.”

Delhi Police said it would issue a detailed, revised standard operating procedure for organising protests and demonstrations at the three designated venues separately.

CJP leaders said they went to the Parliament Street police station to seek a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. They said the police had 24 hours to provide a date or the party would announce another protest call.

“Unacceptable,” said CJP co-convenor Saurav Das, reacting to the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site. “Why is Narendra Modi scared of Jantar Mantar?” he asked, saying that Jantar Mantar belongs to THE PEOPLE OF INDIA.

“Did the Ministry of Home Affairs consult with the people of India? Were any stakeholders consulted? Were any organisations consulted?” Das wrote. “Take it in writing—just how they are denotifying people’s Jantar Mantar, the Prime Minister will soon denotify democracy in India. This move is a step towards that.”

“We do not accept this arbitrary decision. It is an assault on people’s fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly,” he wrote. “Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar ban raha he!”

3 new protest sites notified

In a standing order dated October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar denotified Jantar Mantar as a protest site and designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground as the new designated sites for protests and demonstrations.

"Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, had constituted a committee to examine alternative proper venues for citizens' right to organise protest/demonstrations in place of the existing 'designated site'," the order read.

Based on the committee's recommendations, Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified, it said.

"Three new venues viz Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground, East Delhi have been designated as new venues for organising protest/demonstrations," it said.

Further, it said that a detailed and revised SOP for organising protests and demonstrations at these three venues will be issued separately. “This is in partial modification of earlier Standing Order No. L&O/48/22 dated 28.04.2022,” the standing order issued by Delhi CP said.

About the Author

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.