E-Paper
Sign In
How Delhi's Jantar Mantar became a protest site for people across India
From Anna Hazaare anti-corruption movement to the Nirbhaya case protests, here are seven movements that took birth at the iconic capital location
- PUBLISHED: Sun 26 Jul 2026, 1:55 PM UPDATED: Sun 26 Jul 2026, 8:58 PM
Originally built for the stars, Jantar Mantar has now become a place where those with fallen dreams go as their last resort. The 18th-century observatory witnessed a major plot twist over the years, as it became a protest site, with its grounds recently being used in student-led protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Over time, the prime spot has become synonymous with New Delhi's resilient political identity, and although there hasn't been any official rule by the government, it seems to have become an accepted premise for people to speak up in the world's largest democracy.
Recommended For You
Positioned just a few kilometres away from the Parliament, the area has seen hunger strikes, brutal protests and non-violent sit-downs. It's limited entry and exit points seem to make it an easy area for policing and its clear visibility proves to be a perk for the authorities in regards to safety, while lawmakers still get a glimpse of the public.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
With the 21st century's historic movements taking birth at the venue originally built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the area is no stranger to efforts to stop its gatherings. In 2017, India's National Green Tribunal claimed the protests were causing noise and sanitation issues for the residents living nearby, which led to a temporary halt in demonstrations.
How did Jantar Mantar become a protest site?
It was not always the Jantar Mantar where protests took place. Prior to 1993, most demonstrations took place at the Boat Club lawns near India Gate due to its proximity to the Parliament and governments buildings.
It was in 1998 when around 500,000 farmers led by Mahendra Singh Tikait used the area for almost a week, leading to the government prohibiting such gatherings completely.
With Jantar Mantar gaining global attention over the past few weeks amid student-led protests due to Neet exam paper leaks, here is a look at movements that erupted from the same grounds, bringing people from all walks of life together.
2011: Anna Hazaare anti-corruption movement
It was in April of 2011 when Anna Hazaare began his hunger strike in the midst of Jantar Mantar, rallying for an anti-corruption legislation to be formed.
What started from the heart of New Delhi soon spread to protests across India's major cities of Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahmedabad and got its global spotlight with demonstrations in US, UK, France and Germany.
The protests saw activists demand a civil society member be elected as the minister and not a government-appointed minister. Anna Hazare fasted for almost two weeks, starting on August 16, 2011, and ending it on August 28, 2011, after the government agreed to in principle for the Lokpal bill.
The protests also gave birth to the Aam Aadmi Party, founded by Arwind Kejriwal, who was a key member of the anti-corruption movement.
2012: Nirbhaya justice protests
It was in 2012 that New Delhi gained its unofficial title as the 'rape capital', when the horrific Nirbhaya case shocked the country. The case revolved around the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus, which led to her death 13 days after the incident.
As Jyoti Singh Pandey fought for her life, protests with thousands of women, students and citizens erupted across India Gate, Raisina Hill and Jantar Mantar.
The demonstrations which soon turned violent as police unleashed tear gas and water cannons among other measures, demanded for law reforms and justice for the victim.
The protests saw the successful introduction of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which for the first time introduced the death penalty where rape resulted in death or left the victim in a persistent vegetative state. There were also safety initiatives and helplines established across the city as well awareness in the country regarding gender-based sexual violence.
A year later, four of the six men were hanged to death, with one juvenile (at the time) being sent to a reform home and another man dying in jail before the trial ended.
2014: Nido Tani protests
In 2014, a 20-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area, leading to massive protests regarding the mistreatment of students from Northeast India.
Nido Tania was called racial slurs by shop keepers and made fun for the way he looked, leading to a full-fledged fight during which the police was called. The issue raised scrutiny at the authorities who tried to settle the fight and sent Nido home, a day after which he was found dead from internal injuries.
The demonstrations at Jantar Mantar eventually led to a high-level committee being formed for the safety, concerns, and discrimination faced by people from Northeast India living in metropolitan cities.
2017: Tamil Nadu farmers protest
A 72-year-old farmer from Tamil Nadu led over a 100 days of protests in Jantar Mantar in 2017, after droughts in the southern state led many farmers to commit suicide and die of heart attacks. Followed by farmers from all over the country, the group demanded loans be waived off among other demands.
These protests gained heightened visual attention, as farmers held alleged skulls of farmers who had taken their lives along with dead snakes in their mouths and shaving their heads and moustaches.
The farmers also ate raw meet and human excreta, while threatening to march to Modi's office. The intensity over the demonstrations saw over 140 of them falling sick and being hospitalised, with most of their demands not being met.
2019: Anti-CAA and NRC protests
In 2019, protests spread from India's Assam to Delhi after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted by the government on December 12.
The new law amends the Indian citizenship act to provide quicker citizenship for asylum seeking migrants who are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and entered India before 2014 due to religious persecutions. However, the bill did not mention Muslims and other communities who wanted to take refuge for the same reason.
Along with the act, there was also the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) which would require people to provide certain documents to prove they were Indian before a certain date.
Protestors demanded for the act to be scrapped and NRC not be implemented. What began in Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi spread to Jantar Mantar eventually, where thousands were detained and protests turned violent with law enforcement.
In 2020, student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were among the high-profile names who were arrested for the protests under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Six years later, the two still remain behind bars without a bail or trial.
2023: Wrestlers protest
Top wrestlers camped outdoors in Jantar Mantar for months as they demanded a probe into the sexual harassment of female wrestlers by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The protests that began in January 2023, were withdrawn after Singh, also a member of parliament from BJP, was stripped of all administrative powers by the sports ministry.
The wrestlers resumed their protest on April 23 demanding Singh's arrest, despite violence from police.
The months-long demonstrations led to the international governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW), temporarily suspending the WFI over delayed elections before new leadership took over under supervision
Singh was also formally charged by the Delhi Court and was barred from running in subsequent federation elections.
2026: Student-led education protests
Over the past week, tens of thousands gathered in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over leaks of the medical entrance test paper that affected some 2 million students in May and have been linked to several student suicides.
Pradhan resigned on Saturday — a major victory for the young protesters and one of Modi's biggest defeats. Protests were reported in other parts of the country too, including the financial hub of Mumbai.
The protests have swelled into the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the demands of the youth movement and have disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.
The CJP protests began as an online satire and involved only a few hundred young people when they were first launched. The movement's surge in popularity reflects frustrations among young Indians over issues such as job shortages, as well as frequent exam leaks.
With inputs from Reuters
