00:00But sticking with Jantar Mantar, Delhi's iconic protest hub, Jantar Mantar, is no longer a designated venue for protest and
00:08demonstrations.
00:09For decades, it's been the go-to spot for political protests.
00:13Public campaigns, movements seeking to draw government's attention to key issues.
00:17Its location, close to the parliament, made it a preferred destination for protesters wanting to make their voices heard.
00:24The anti-corruption movement, you'll remember, spearheaded by Anna Azari, actually started there before it moved to Ramli Lamadhan.
00:31The outpouring of anger over Delhi's gang rape in 2012 started there.
00:35The anti-CEA protest started there.
00:38And the ongoing anti-CEC stir and the opposition also wanted to begin from there.
00:45In fact, the removal of Dharmendra Pradhan, the entire protest was Jantar Mantar.
00:49This time, it was said to be Jantar Mantar 2.0.
00:52So, you name it, any protest has its root in Delhi, has its roots in Jantar Mantar.
00:58Jantar Mantar, you can say, was the hub of countries' most iconic movements.
01:04But now, no more.
01:06Because in an order dated October 11th, the Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar has removed Jantar Mantar from the list
01:13of authorized protest sites
01:14and designated three new venues instead of Jantar Mantar.
01:19What are these venues?
01:20It's Ramli Lamadhan.
01:21It's Burari Ground.
01:23It's CBD Ground in East Delhi.
01:25But before I tell you why the opposition is not buying these protests,
01:29some would say that, well, it'll just, you know, make traffic a little more easy if they remove the protest
01:35site.
01:35Why is the opposition saying, this move is actually out of sight, out of mind?
01:41Let me take you through some graphics in the map of Delhi to actually make you realize why this matters.
01:48Okay.
01:49Let's move to our graphic wall to show you how the placement of these three protest sites is.
01:57Let's throw up the map here.
01:59So, this is Jantar Mantar.
02:01The capacity of this place is about 5,000.
02:04And let's see the distance it has to the first ground.
02:12Ramli Lamadhan.
02:13This is the closest site that you have from Jantar Mantar.
02:16It's about 3 kilometers.
02:18But why we've written 25 minutes over here is because a lot of times if you are stuck in traffic,
02:27that's how long it actually takes.
02:30Also telling you that this area is very traffic packed most of the time.
02:34So, nobody is denying that this leads to traffic jams, etc.
02:37But here, the closest Jantar Mantar site that you can get or the closest protest site you can get is
02:45Ramli Lamadhan.
02:46Let's go to the other one.
02:47Let's go to Burari ground.
02:49Burari for anybody who's not in Delhi is very, very far away.
02:54In fact, it's about 20 kilometers away.
02:57And that is supposed to be the furthest away from Jantar Mantar.
03:04This is exactly what the protesters mean when they say this is out of sight, out of mind.
03:12Because who's going to go 20 kilometers away, almost an hour away from the heart of the protest site,
03:18from the heart of the city really and go all the way over there.
03:23So, that's Burari.
03:24This is the third one, CBD ground.
03:27Capacity here is about 2,500, 13 kilometers.
03:30It will again take about an hour or so to get there.
03:34These are again on the extreme right, the extreme east and left of the national capital.
03:40Which is why people think, and opposition is saying, this is not feasible.
03:45How will you actually have people go there?
03:47But I have a different proposition when it comes to these three protest sites.
03:52At the moment, since Navratri celebrations are on, since the Shehra is around the corner, Diwali is around the corner,
04:00all these three sites at the moment are busy with those, the Shehra celebrations, Navratri celebrations.
04:08As of today, if somebody was to hold a protest in the national capital, there is no ground available.
04:16Jantar Mantar was the only ground available.
04:18In fact, it is a small lane for those who don't know.
04:20It's a lane which is blocked on both sides, which is the only place available.
04:24And that place also has now been denotified.
04:27So, how do we go about this entire process?
04:31But what exactly is the problem with the other protest sites as well?
04:34Let me give you in detail.
04:36First up, let's look at Ramli Lamaidan.
04:38Located in the heart of old Delhi, Ramli Lamaidan has a long history of hosting political rallies,
04:44public meetings, mass movements as well.
04:46It is around three kilometers away, like I said, from Jantar Mantar,
04:49making it the closest of the three new venues.
04:52The ground can accommodate around 1.25 lakh people at a time,
04:57making it the largest sort of the three designated sites.
05:01But organizing a protest here comes at a steep price.
05:05Civic officials say that booking the ground costs about 50,000 rupees per day,
05:11along with a refundable security deposit of 55,000 rupees.
05:15Add that, you know, add taxes, etc. to it.
05:17And if you want to book Jantar Mantar for a protest for a single day,
05:22you have to pay at least 1.21 lakh rupees.
05:271 lakh, 21,000 rupees has to be given.
05:30That's the cost of one day of booking.
05:32There are smaller areas that can be used as well for protests, which is free of cost.
05:37But there's a catch.
05:38It can accommodate only 150 people.
05:41The ground also has to be booked through the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's Horticulture Department.
05:47And organizers also need a no-objection certificate from Delhi Police
05:51before they can even get permission to hold there.
05:54Right?
05:55And that's not the only hurdle.
05:58According to reports, the ground is booked for the rest of the year.
06:01There are three dates available as of now.
06:04If today somebody wants to make a booking,
06:06there are three dates available.
06:0829th, 30th and 31st of December.
06:10Basically, the New Year's Eve.
06:12But even for that, you have to go through the entire process.
06:16So basically,
06:17abhi protest karna hai, you can't protest.
06:19There are traffic concerns as well.
06:21Ramli Lameidan is located as a very busy commercial area
06:24with hospitals, civic offices nearby.
06:28It is just the gateway to entering old Delhi as well.
06:30Large gatherings can put pressure on the surrounding roads as well.
06:33And this is why a lot of nearby people who have businesses
06:37are not very happy with this decision.
06:40In fact, my colleague Ashutosh visited Ramli Lameidan
06:42to understand what's the sentiment like
06:44that now, without Jantar Mantar,
06:46this is going to be the closest place
06:48where any protest can happen.
06:50Take a look.
06:53Delhi's, this Ramli Lameidan ground has its own significance.
06:57Till 1930, it was a huge pond.
06:59And during the British era,
07:01the pond was filled up with a muck
07:02and sand.
07:03And then it's shaped into a Ramli Lameidan eventually.
07:07That used to be a gathering
07:08from pond to ground before 1930.
07:10The site was a large natural pond.
07:12And then pond was filled and leveled
07:14to shift the traditional annual Ramli Lameidan
07:16celebration that started in 1930.
07:19When it also has a cultural roots,
07:21tradition of staging Ramli Lameidan
07:23in Delhi dates back to 19th century
07:25near Rajmeri Gate.
07:26And it was patronized by local merchant patrons
07:28and Khatri community,
07:29Sri Ramli Lameidan community that was formed in 1932.
07:33However, post-independence,
07:34during the partition 1947,
07:37parts of surrounding were developed in 1951.
07:39This also has been stage of national politics
07:42for the global leaders.
