The New Delhi Municipal Council, assisted by the Delhi Police, evicted protestors from Jantar Mantar on Monday, the Hindustan Times reported. The authorities were complying with the National Green Tribunal’s order banning demonstrations in the area.
About 17 groups of protestors had set up tents and makeshift structures in the area, The Hindu reported. There were individual agitators such as T David Raj, who has been at the Jantar Mantar for the last year to demand a liquor ban in Tamil Nadu, as well as former servicemen who have been demanding the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme.
About 40 people were briefly detained at the Parliament Street police station, while 10-15 people were taken to the Mandir Marg station.
“This is clearly an attempt to silence the voices in a democracy. If there is a court order stating that we cannot protest here, then give us an alternative site where we can,” Major General (retired) Satbir Singh, who has been spearheading the One Rank One Pension movement, told The Hindu.
The Ramleela Ground, an alternative site, does not have toilets and other facilities like the Jantar Mantar. However, the municipal corporation is opposed to any move to designate the Ramleela Ground as a protest venue. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation said they would present a status report before the NGT on Tuesday, informing the tribunal how the corporation’s finances will be affected if the ground is used for protests.
“Ramleela Maidan is a major source of revenue for us and converting it to a protest site will hit us because our financial condition is already bad,” the corporation’s Director of Horticulture, Ranvir Singh, was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
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