New Delhi: Over 300 people associated with the Reservation Hatao Andolan—an Instagram page campaigning against the UGC Act and the SC/ST Act—gathered Friday afternoon at Jantar Mantar, as the online campaign spilled onto the streets in the form of an anti-reservation protest.
The campaign, which has 5.6 million followers on Instagram, had earlier called for supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar on 21 August.
Security was heightened at Jantar Mantar ahead of the protest against caste-based reservations, with additional police personnel deployed in the area, police sources said Friday.
Protesters from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and several other states joined the demonstration. Most of them said reservation be removed, while a few said reservation should be made on economic basis.
The Delhi Police had granted the permission to the protesters for a peaceful protest at Ramlila Maidan till 4 pm. “Permission was sought a month ago for Jantar Mantar. But on the day of the protest, at 12 noon suddenly the venue was changed to Ramleela Maidan and the number fixed at 500,” the Reservation Hatao Andolan responded to the Delhi Police, on X.
क्यों @narendramodi @AmitShah
एक महीने पहले जंतर-मंतर के लिए अनुमति मांगी गई थी। लेकिन प्रदर्शन के दिन, दोपहर 12 बजे अचानक जगह बदलकर रामलीला मैदान और संख्या 500 तय कर दी गई।
ये तुम जगह नहीं बदल रहे, तुम्हारी कोशिश है कैसे भी आवाज़ को सीमित कर दिया जाए।
अगर 500 लोगों के… https://t.co/InqGHNLzft
— Reservation Hatao Andolan (RHA) (@WokeFuneral) August 21, 2026
Abhishek Agnihotri, who is heading the protest, said that the protest will happen only at Jantar Mantar. “We will not go anywhere. We will raise our demands peacefully, and not obstruct any police party,” he told ThePrint.
Among the protesters was Pratyush Gaur, 26, a native of Champaran, Bihar. “The reservation laws are being enforced on people. That is not allowing candidates from general caste, who have scored better, to be considered for bureaucratic exams,” Gaur, who joined the protest after he found out about the posts shared on Instagram, told ThePrint.
Gaur had also participated in the recently held Cockroach Janta Party protest that culminated with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July.
“We don’t know if this protest will last as long as CJP’s, but we will stay our ground,” Gaur said. “It’s as if now the government will only hear the people if they protest. This is not right. Protests come when everything else has failed. We shouldn’t be protesting every now and then.”
“I feel the government is focusing too much on religion, caste, communities, and is not focusing on what real concerns we are facing.”
Inflation & unemployment
Roshan Singh, 32, a businessman from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, believes that the education sector needs a reform.
But, he said, that needs to start with people actively sending their children to public schools.
“There are so many politicians, who don’t send their children to public schools. They study in private schools, or abroad. …we have to visit the schools, that is where the difference starts. The CJP didn’t even focus on that. They were busy making reels, and abusing security forces. Our protest is peaceful, and we just want answers,” Singh said.
For others like Alokeshwar from Karnataka and his friend Vidhya Bhushan from Bihar, reservations have their advantages as well as disadvantages.
“Rich people don’t need reservations. Those with less income deserve it more. It should be just,” Bhushan said. “Nut how many people from SC, ST, or OBC communities are in other fields? Like media? Or academia? Why is this reservation being enforced in bureaucratic services.”
“The government needs to fulfill the basic criteria of reservation. People from underprivileged communities deserve to get access, and they should, but it shouldn’t be exploited.”
Security personnel have been deployed at key points around Jantar Mantar and barricades have been put in place to prevent any unauthorised gathering, police sources said.
Police personnel were keeping a close watch on movement towards the protest site and are checking people entering the area, they said, adding that they were maintaining strict vigil and will not allow any gathering without prior permission.
(Edited by Tony Rai)