'50,000-Person Cap' Fixed Timing: Delhi Police's New Regulation For Ramlila Gathering Sparks Row
New Delhi: Delhi Police has proposed a set of guidelines to regulate protests and public gatherings at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi. The police guideline includes a ceiling of 50,000 participants.
In addition, programs will be allowed only between 10 am and 5 pm, with organisers needed to apply 10 days in advance and have to obtain Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) clearance, news agency ANI reported citing police sources.
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Traffic, parking and security should also be mandatorily arranged. The new guidelines have sparked controversy as they purportedly involves restrictions. ‘A protest cannot be expected to be like a meticulously regulated public event,’ opined journalist Rahul Shivshankar.
The new guidelines prohibit firearms, swords, spears, sharp objects and other prohibited items at the venue. The new regulations comes weeks after Delhi police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest venue and designated Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative sites for demonstrations.
The decision was taken following recommendations by a committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to identify alternative venues for exercising the right to organise protests. Ramlila Ground has recently hosted major political gatherings, including the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision.
