India, Oct. 13 -- For several decades, Jantar Mantar has been synonymous with protests in the national Capital, a place where farmers, students, workers and political organisations have gathered to raise their demands. From Anna Hazare's hunger strike to the Nirbhaya protests and the agitation over the NEET paper leak, the site has witnessed powerful expressions of public dissent.

Ironically, Jantar Mantar's towering instruments, designed to track time and the movement of celestial bodies, have made it a place to gauge the times and the shifting tides of public sentiment. Now that Delhi Police has de-notified it as a designated protest site, the landmark risks losing its relevance as a space where people can make themselves heard.

Howev...