Over 50 Detained at Jantar Mantar During Demonstration Over Reservation Policy
Delhi Police detained more than 50 protesters at Jantar Mantar on Friday evening after a demonstration demanding major changes to India’s reservation system escalated past the permitted time limit.
Hundreds of people gathered at the central Delhi protest site during the day to voice their demands regarding the reservation policy. According to police, the permitted time for the gathering concluded at 4pm, and most demonstrators dispersed. However, the situation escalated around 7.30pm when several protesters remained at the spot and began raising slogans despite repeated requests from authorities to leave.
Following the escalation, additional Delhi Police personnel and the Rapid Action Force were deployed to the area. Police directed the remaining crowd to disperse, detained over 50 individuals, and cleared Jantar Mantar to bring the situation under control.
Among the participants at the demonstration was YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, who called on the central government to hold talks with the protesters and issue a white paper outlining the outcomes of reservation policies over the last 80 years. Bharti highlighted the plight of underprivileged groups, pointing specifically to the Musahar community in Bihar, and argued that children from such groups continue to miss out on quota benefits because they lack political leadership.
Protesters also raised demands for sub-categorisation, or a quota within quota, and questioned the government's stance on the creamy layer. Bharti criticised the non-implementation of the creamy layer principle within existing categories and urged the administration to engage directly with demonstrators.
Additionally, the demonstrators called for the introduction of minimum qualifying marks for admissions into higher educational institutions such as the IITs and IIMs, arguing that merit should not be compromised. Bharti also addressed provisions for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), stating that the category should be included within the Scheduled Castes framework, and questioned the lack of fee waivers for forms, hostels, and courses for economically weaker candidates.
