Led by NEET aspirant and businessman brother, protest against reservation at Jantar Mantar

Shukla’s friend Anand Singh, a contractor from Barabanki, said, “Several governments have come and gone … All of them have used us as vote banks. Opportunities should be given to those who deserve, not based on reservation. The kind of reservation structure India has will weaken the country.” Singh said that he, along with four friends, took the train to Delhi after learning about the protest at Jantar Mantar.

Friday’s protest was led by NEET aspirant Harsh Dubey and his businessman brother Abhishek Agnihotri.

Dubey gained attention during a television debate where he spoke about reservation and argued that students were failing to qualify due to the marginal difference in marks created by the reservation system.

Dubey, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and currently resides in Noida, later posted videos on his social media accounts calling for a protest in demand of reforms in the reservation system.

On August 2, he announced that he would sit at Jantar Mantar alone after obtaining permission from the Delhi Police. However, his request was turned down by the authorities citing the imposition of Section 163 of the BNSS that pertains to preventive orders to stop nuisance, danger or public disorder. He also announced plans to launch a reservation reform movement after a social media page with the name of ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’ was created.

Sudha Sharma, a homemaker from northeast Delhi, arrived at the site with her sister. She said: “My sister is economically and financially weak, but she cannot get the reservation because she belongs to an upper caste. Why?”

“I came here after seeing Harsh Dubey on social media appealing to people to come to Jantar Mantar. He talked sense, and we thought we should support him. He was raising our voices,” Sharma said.

“We are holding a reservation reform movement. Reservation should be given to those who require it, not to everyone,” Agnihotri said.

“The equity in UGC norms should be abolished,” he added.

Police nod for alternative venue, protesters refuse

On Thursday, the Delhi Police had issued a rebuttal to social media posts on permission for the Jantar Mantar stir, stating that no permission had been granted.

The police also advised citizens not to amplify, forward or share “unverified content”, adding that legal action could be initiated against people found creating or disseminating fake news.

However, hours after protesters started arriving at Jantar Mantar on Friday, the Delhi Police offered Ramlila Maidan as an alternative venue.

Police later issued a no-objection certificate allowing up to 500 protesters to hold a peaceful demonstration at Ramlila Maidan until 4 pm. A letter from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), addressed to Agnihotri and Dubey, stated that the request to hold the protest at Ramlila Maidan had been considered and that the police had no objection from a law-and-order perspective.

The protesters, however, said they would not leave Jantar Mantar.

Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan are around 3 km apart but fall under separate police districts.

Agnihotri said, “We are setting up our stage here at Jantar Mantar and are not going to shift. We have been here since morning, and the numbers are increasing. We are not going to leave this place.”

Some protesters also demanded the abolition of the SC/ST Act. In the evening, protesters were also seen reciting the Hanuman Chalisa.

Officers kept appealing to the protesters to leave the site before a large number of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel cleared the site around 7.30 pm. Some protesters were detained, but released later.