Thousands of people reached Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday on the appeal of 'Remove Reservation Movement' against caste-based reservation. People came in large numbers in support of this movement going on on social media. The police detained many protesters. The police had given permission for the demonstration not at Jantar Mantar but at Ramlila Maidan.
Delhi Police had not given permission for any kind of demonstration, procession or gathering in and around Jantar Mantar. Despite this, people had gathered there. The police detained the protesters. Several videos and pictures appeared on social media platform X, in which police personnel were seen taking away the protesters.
Also read: '500 people, time only till 4 pm', now permission given for removal of reservation movement here
What do the protesters want?
People had come with banners, posters and saffron flags and were raising slogans against caste-based reservation. This demonstration started from Instagram. An Instagram page named 'Remove Reservation Hatao Andolan' had appealed to the people to protest at Jantar Mantar on August 21. This page has 56 lakh followers.
Demand for reservation on economic basis
The protesters demand that economic status should be given priority instead of caste in government assistance and reservation. A protester associated with All India Kshatriya Mahasabha said that a poor person, irrespective of his caste, should get help for education, coaching and other needs.
Permission was granted to demonstrate at Ramlila Maidan.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in Jantar Mantar area. Barricading was also done to stop the movement of people. Delhi Police said that no-objection certificate was issued for the peaceful protest under the banner of 'Remove Reservation Movement' at Ramlila Maidan.
Also read: 'Give reservation to Nishads, otherwise I will protest', Sanjay Nishad warns BJP
Thousands of people gathered at Jantar Mantar
A maximum of 500 people could gather there till 4 pm. The police had not expressed any objection to Ramlila Maidan from law and order point of view. Instead of Ramlila Maidan, thousands of protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar.
What are the 3 big demands of the protesters?
Influencer Ajit Bharti is also supporting the remove reservation movement. He said, 'Our biggest demand is that the government should bring a white paper in which it should be told that the reservation you have given to the people for 80 years. I come from Bihar. Do research and see how bad the condition of the Musahar community is. Their children are not getting reservation. Why? Because those caste groups do not have leaders.
Ajit Bharti said, 'The second demand is for 'quota within quota', on which the government has also said that we will not implement 'creamy layer' in it. Why wouldn't you implement it? It is very strange that the government is bowing down to some Dalit leaders who only talk about their caste group.
Ajit Bharti said, 'The third demand is for minimum marks. You cannot sell the dream of a developed India by compromising on merit. If 50 percent of eligible youth or studying boys and girls will not get admission in IIT, IIM or higher education, then your efficiency will reduce by 50 percent then Economically Weaker Section (EWS) should be made a part of Scheduled Castes (SC). You are neither giving any facility to the class whose very definition is 'economically weak' in purchasing forms, nor are you waiving off their hostel fees, nor are their course fees being waived off. What will you gain by just giving them recognition? At least tell us that we are going to sit and talk about this.