New Delhi, Oct. 12 -- For decades, Jantar Mantar has stood as a testament to democracy, where people gathered hoping that their voices would reach those in power. From Anna Hazare's hunger strike, to the Nirbhaya protests and the NEET paper leak agitation, the site has witnessed powerful expressions of public dissent.

Ironically, Jantar Mantar -- its towering instruments designed to observe time and the movement of celestial bodies -- became a space to gauge our times and the shifting tides of public sympathies.

Now, with Delhi Police de-notifying it as a designated protest site, the landmark risks losing its relevance as a space for people to make themselves heard.

Over the years, the stretch in the heart of the capital has brought together people from different walks of life, united by grievances ranging from corruption and injustice, to demand accountability, woman safety and social change.

For many, Jantar Mantar was a platform to draw the nation's attention to issues that might otherwise have gone unheard.

One of the significant early demonstrations at the site took place in 1993, when 33 organisations assembled for a 'Jail Bharo' protest against the government's economic policies and communalism.

The scale of mobilisation was highlighted in Parliament, where an MP said nearly 25,000 people had participated in the demonstration.

Nearly two decades later, Jantar Mantar became the centre of a nationwide anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare. On April 5, 2011, Hazare began a five-day hunger strike demanding a stronger Jan Lokpal Bill to tackle corruption.

The agitation gained momentum as the government agreed to constitute a joint drafting committee comprising ministers and civil society representatives to prepare the proposed legislation.

Hazare ended his fast on April 9, turning the protest into one of the most prominent mass movements of the period and establishing Jantar Mantar as a focal point for public campaigns demanding political accountability.

In December 2012, the site and its surroundings became an important location for demonstrations following the brutal gangrape of a woman in a moving bus in the capital.

Jantar Mantar witnessed protests over Nirbhaya's 2012 gangrape, Nido Tania's 2014 death, Tamil Nadu farmers' debts in 2017, wrestlers' sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023, and NEET-UG irregularities in 2024 and 2026.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.