Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 22: Delhi's Jantar Mantar witnessed an anti-reservation protest on Friday, days after demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged irregularities in the NEET (UG) examination.
The protesters gathered under the banner of ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’ and opposed caste-based reservation, demanding that government reservation and support be determined on the basis of economic conditions.
Carrying banners, posters and saffron flags, the protesters called for a review of the existing reservation policy in view of current social and economic conditions.
“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,” PTI quoted a protester associated with the Akhil Bhartiya Kshatriya Mahasabha (ABKM) as saying.
The protesters also demanded the introduction of a “creamy layer” criterion in reservation and sought changes to policies concerning Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
They also raised questions over the framework of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
“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,” another protester said.
The protesters were later detained by the Delhi Police. Officials said the demonstrators did not have permission to hold an assembly at Jantar Mantar.
However, an official communication from the office of the Central District DCP stated that a peaceful protest was permitted at Ramlila Ground and that a no-objection certificate (NOC) had been issued for it.
The police clarified that it had “no objection” to a protest at Jantar Mantar from a law-and-order perspective.
“Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), corresponding to the erstwhile Section 144 of the CrPC, are already in force in the New Delhi district,” the Delhi Police had said in an earlier statement.
The police also advised citizens not to amplify, forward or share unverified content circulating on social media.
“Legal action may be initiated against individuals found creating or disseminating fake news,” the statement warned.