The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has acted on a complaint over lack of a free-of-charge venue to hold protests in the city, asking the Delhi government and the Delhi Police to intervene in the matter.
For decades, protests and sit-ins by groups and individuals espousing various causes would take place at Jantar Mantar. However, on October 5, 2017, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruled that the protesters would have to be moved out of the area on account of the noise pollution caused.
The protesters were given the suggestion to move to Ramlila Maidan instead.
Expensive alternative
However, since Ramlila Maidan is maintained by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which charges ₹50,000 per day for the premises, many of the groups that had been protesting at Jantar Mantar for years did not move to it.
Acting on petition by activists Madan Mohan Priye and Pravin Chandra Roy, the NHRC observed on April 16 that protesters did not have any place for demonstrations in Delhi.
The NHRC ordered the complaint to be sent to the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, with a copy to the Delhi Police Commissioner, “calling for immediate intervention, enquiry and action in accordance with law”. On April 17, the complaint was forwarded.
The complaint had been filed on behalf of Major General (Retd.) Satbir Singh and others. Maj.Gen. Singh had been one of the organisers of the protest by ex-servicemen to demand One Rank One Pension (OROP).
The OROP protest had been going on at Jantar Mantar from 2015 and was among those evicted from the site in October 2017.
“The government has failed to provide an alternate site for peaceful protest and peaceful association in lieu of Jantar Mantar and this is a serious violation of the human rights of Indian citizens,” contended Mr. Priye.
