The Delhi Police on Friday detained several protesters who gathered at Jantar Mantar for an anti-reservation demonstration, as security was tightened around the protest site amid a heavy turnout, PTI reported.
Visuals showed police personnel detaining several protesters, most of them men, as large crowds gathered at the site carrying banners, posters and saffron flags and raising slogans against caste-based reservation.
The protesters had been mobilised through social media for the demonstration, demanding that economic criteria be given greater weight than caste in determining eligibility for government support and reservation.
Police personnel and paramilitary forces were deployed at key points in the area ahead of the protest, while barricades were erected to regulate the movement of people towards Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi Police said no permission had been granted for any protest, procession, demonstration or assembly at Jantar Mantar.
However, an official communication from the office of the Central District DCP said a no-objection certificate (NOC) had been issued for a peaceful protest under the banner of "Reservation Hatao Andolan" at Ramlila Ground.
The NOC permitted a maximum of 500 people to gather at Ramlila Maidan until 4 pm, with police stating that they had "no objection" to the protest there from a law-and-order perspective, according to the communication cited by PTI.
The protest campaign was spearheaded by "Reservation Hatao Andolan", an Instagram-based page that later appealed to its followers to participate in a physical demonstration at Jantar Mantar on August 21. The page has 5.6 million followers on Instagram, PTI reported.
The protesters demanded that economic circumstances be considered when determining who should receive government assistance, including support for education, coaching and other needs.
"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," a protester associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha was quoted as saying by PTI.
Another participant called for a review of the existing reservation system, arguing that its benefits did not always reach the most disadvantaged sections.
"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," he said, according to PTI.
Some protesters also demanded the introduction of a creamy-layer criterion in reservation and changes to policies concerning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
"We are not saying that economically weaker people should be left without support. We are saying that assistance should be targeted at those who need it, including through scholarships, fee support and coaching," another protester said.
The protesters also raised concerns about the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and higher education policies, including the University Grants Commission framework.
One participant questioned the continuation of reservation provisions decades after their introduction and called for a review of the policy in light of present-day social and economic conditions.
"The circumstances have changed considerably over the decades. There should be a wider discussion on whether the existing framework needs to be reviewed and how economic disadvantage can be addressed without discrimination," he said.
Some protesters also alleged that internet jammers had been deployed around the protest site, making it difficult to access social media. The claim could not be independently verified, PTI reported.
