Delhi Police tightens Jantar Mantar siege; curbs ride-hailing, food delivery

Even as criticism mounts over the government's handling of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, the authorities have widened restrictions around the demonstration site, this time asking app-based mobility, food delivery, quick-commerce and logistics companies to regulate or suspend their services in the notified area.

In a traffic advisory issued on Friday, 24 July, Delhi Traffic Police said the measures were necessitated by prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, citing 'public order' and 'public safety'. The advisory suggested temporary geo-fencing of the affected area and, where operationally feasible, suspension of ride-hailing and delivery services to and from the protest site.

The advisory also urged members of the public to avoid travelling to the restricted area unless absolutely necessary and asked citizens to cooperate with police personnel and use alternate routes.

The latest restrictions come against the backdrop of an increasingly stringent official response to the student agitation over the alleged NEET paper leak. Over the past week, authorities have repeatedly suspended mobile internet services around Jantar Mantar, shut nearby Metro stations, deployed heavy police contingents and used lathis and tear gas to disperse protesters attempting to march towards Parliament on 20 July.

On Thursday night, the government also directed GitHub to disable access to BitChat, an open-source messaging application that allows users to communicate over Bluetooth even during internet shutdowns. The Internet Freedom Foundation has challenged the move, arguing that the government appears to object not to any unlawful content but to the application's ability to function during network restrictions.

Reacting to Friday's advisory, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das accused the government of attempting to 'lay siege' to Jantar Mantar. 'The government wants to LAY SIEGE to Jantar Mantar! It wants to restrict and stop food delivery, water delivery, sanitation facilities, medical treatment, power lines, and people's movement to the site! How much lower will they stoop? But remember. It only strengthens the resolve of those who refuse to surrender,' Das wrote on X.

While the police advisory explicitly calls for app-based mobility services, food delivery platforms, quick-commerce operators and logistics providers to regulate operations in the notified area, it does not refer to water supply, sanitation, medical services or electricity, as alleged by the CJP.

The advisory is nevertheless the clearest indication yet that the restrictions around Jantar Mantar now extend beyond crowd control to encompass digital platforms and private service providers, effectively shrinking access to the protest site even as demonstrators continue to camp there demanding accountability for alleged examination irregularities and action against those responsible for the police crackdown.

The protests have entered their second week, with the opposition accusing the Centre of treating a peaceful student movement as a law-and-order problem rather than addressing the concerns that brought thousands of young people to the capital.