Hundreds of demonstrators, primarily from the general category, assembled at Jantar Mantar on Friday demanding major reforms to India’s reservation system, insisting that benefits should be linked to economic need rather than caste. The protest, organised under the banner of Reservation Hatao Andolan, unfolded amid a clear dispute with Delhi Police over the venue and permission.
Protesters began arriving in the morning, carrying placards and raising slogans such as “Aarakshan gareeb ko mile, jaati ko nahi” (reservation should go to the poor, not to castes). Many travelled from states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Groups such as General Sena, Chanakya Sena and Karni Sena also joined the gathering. Organisers included NEET aspirant Harsh Dubey and activist Abhishek Agnihotri, who described their effort as a Reservation Reform Movement seeking the abolition or fundamental restructuring of caste-based quotas in education and government jobs.
Central demands focused on shifting the basis of affirmative action to economic criteria, introducing or strengthening a creamy-layer filter across reserved categories, adopting a “one family, one reservation, one time” rule so benefits do not continue indefinitely across generations, and imposing a time-bound review or sunset clause on existing policies. Demonstrators also called for a rollback of certain University Grants Commission equity and roster norms, arguing that current arrangements undermine merit and fail to reach the most disadvantaged.
Delhi Police stated that no permission had been granted for any protest, procession or assembly at Jantar Mantar. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were already in force in the New Delhi district. Authorities instead issued a no-objection certificate allowing a maximum of 500 people to hold a peaceful demonstration at Ramlila Maidan until 4 pm. Organisers and participants refused to relocate, insisting they would remain at the iconic protest site.
Security was significantly strengthened, with police and Rapid Action Force personnel deploying barricades around the area. By late afternoon and evening, as some demonstrators stayed beyond the permitted window and continued raising slogans, tensions rose. More than 50 protesters were detained. Officials said the majority of the crowd dispersed after repeated requests, and the site was eventually cleared. Claims of internet jammers being used in the vicinity could not be independently verified.
The mobilisation was driven largely by social media. The Reservation Hatao Andolan Instagram page, which has several million followers, had urged supporters to gather physically on August 21. The demonstration came barely a month after the lengthy Cockroach Janta Party sit-in at the same location over examination irregularities.
Police maintained that the gathering at Jantar Mantar remained unauthorised. Organisers countered that they had sought permission for the site weeks earlier and would continue pressing their demands peacefully. As of Saturday morning, reports indicated heightened security in the area, with some indications that smaller groups might attempt to return.
