Public protests: Urban spaces and their policing

Study done by:- Anand kumar jha

Guide : Prof. Amrit Vasudevan

Background of the study

While reading Michael Foucault’s interview, the idea of urban policing and urban protests
intrigued me a lot.While different regimes had their own take on what can and what
cannot take to streets,it was interesting to note how spaces evolved as protest spaces and
the reaction of the citizens and the governance to the issues that were urban or nonurban
in nature.

Policing rationale’ of control has always varied from one setup to another. Probably as
evident in cities like Bombay and Delhi where one city is more self governing than the
other ,with the policing and restrictions extremely variable in both the cases. Viewing
spaces in relation with political dynamics and state proletariat relationship I feel would
give the much needed clue in emergence of the urban activism and protest spaces in
urban settlements.

Looking back at the interrelationships between the space and authority, one
gets to feel that though spaces have always been state over individual symbols, however
in eighteenth century, much started to change as politics of architecture distributed itself
with state as well as with people. Non ornamented structures, exposed brick architecture
were all forms of retaliation, potent political voices against state. However these symbols
of retaliation had their own power dynamics and didn’t necessarily emerge as protest
spaces. Even open campuses such as Shantiniketan’s Vishwa Bharati, planned as a
celebration of human freedom during British Raj, a period of captivity couldn’t achieve
much in terms of what it set out for. Simultaneously, emergence of messes in universities
and changing rooms and canteens in industrial setups as protest spaces give us a
hypothesis that architecture didn’t play a strong role in evolving protest spaces in
industrial and post industrial post modern city. However this remains a hypothesis till
validated with further study. Another interesting aspect of this observation is the
emergence of student leaders, trade unionists, mass movement leaders, technologists,
information designers and media/film makers as architects of these protest spaces.
While the candlelight vigils to India gate drew inspiration from a Hindi movie, Dharnas
and hunger strikes as nonviolent protests have gandhian mass movement leaders guiding
them. Emergence of trade unions and student unions and the spaces which catalyzed this
emergence and mobilizing methods like sms and email on list servers, webgroups and
web societies are indicative of new change agents and irreversible change in terms of
protests spaces. A simultaneous emergence of internet monitoring in Cuba and china
depoliticisation in campuses and absence of unions in new industries like call centers are
indicative of new age policing .

This paper makes a modest initiation in exploring these changes.

Study parameters

Generally non mass base urban protests can be directed at certain public spaces. These
public spaces can be classified as:-

Economic channels:- Shops/factories/warehouses

Ports
Railway stations
Public transport
Banks / financial establishments

Governance channels:- Ministry offices

Parliament house
Judiciary and executive offices.

Individual/organization directed: - Residence of individual

Office of organization

Generally after these protests go unheard or the protestors feel the need for a wider
support base, mass actions or mass protests are organized. Mass actions generally happen
at symbolic places, demarcated protest spaces of places of public importance.
Case studies
Case #1

Narmada Bachao Andolan’s sit in, rally, and hunger strike

March 17th-april 17th
Venue-at Shram Shakti Bhavan, Rafi marg
Jantar mantar
Candle light vigil to parliament

Protest against : Narmada control authority’s clearance for increase in sardar sarovar
dam’s height from 110 meters to 121.92 meters.

Nature of protests non violent sit in, hunger strike and candle light vigil

People involved:affected tribals from Nimad, MP. Nba activists and supporters from
various places in country including Delhi

Accommodation: at dharna site, few women volunteers stayed at residences of women

supporters from Delhi.

Food was arranged by local supporters, allied organizations of national association for
people’s movement.

Communication to supporters was through emails, phone calls and sms

Narrative:

March 17,2006-affected families sit outside water resource ministry, rafi marg
representatives go and meet water resource minister shri saifuddin soz.
March 21: minister issues statement indicating that rehabilitation hasn’t been done even
at 110 meters, says his secretary didn’t consult him before giving a go ahead to Narmada
control authority.

March 23: over 300 people continue sitting in front of water resource ministry,ex chief
justices, veteran journalists and some CPI(m) MPs join.

March 25th: dharna and relay hunger strike continues, representatives meet PM, are
assured of a response in next 2 days.

March 26th 3.00 pm: police manhandles and arrests 250 people at dharna site. few suffer
injuries. They were detained at parliament street police station, few prominent leaders
were released by the evening and the rest were released the next day. A candle vigil to
India gate was planned on 26th evening for which the permission was obtained, was
stopped before Sansad Marg, barricades were placed and section 144 of IPC was put to
affect prohibiting gathering of more than 4 people.

March 27th-darna continues on Jantar Mantar

March 28th- 3 people ,Jamsinh Nargawe, Medha Patkar and Bhagwatiben Jatpuria sit on
indefinite hunger strike, protest strengthens.

2nd april- public hearing at dharna site, health of fasters detoriate, members of Jnusu and
Jnuta join. Relay hunger strikes begin

5th april: 11:30 pm, nearing midnight, 400 policemen sweep the dharna site, manhandle
beat and arrest the fasters and activists. Medha Bhagwatiben and Jamsinh are taken to
All India institute of medical sciences and kept under no access police custody.

The rest are harassed and detained till 4:40 am in the morning.6 people joined indefinite
hunger strike .
6th April: nationwide protests in Bangalore, Mumbai ,Bhopal, Jalna, Aurangabad, Kolkata
Plachimada , Chennai and other places.3 Ministers leave to inspect the dam command
area and rehabilitation sites. Engineers from IIT Madras and Bombay challenge technical
claims of the project wrt irrigation and electricity. Aidindia observes a nationwide protest.

8th April: ministers return after assessment .Independent researchers release their reports.
False charges slapped against protesters

The charges filed were under sections:

- 186: Obstructing public servants in discharge of public function
- 332: Voluntary causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty
- 353: Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty
- 147: For rioting
- 149: Unlawful assembly
- 309: Attempt to commit suicide
- 34: Common intention

12th April: reconsideration of clearance, Medha writes for her release from the custody

15th April :Nba’a baroda office attacked., indefinite hunger strike continues

17th April: Supreme Court issues notices for responses within a week, doesn’t stay the
dam.
The report of panel of ministers who visited the valley is out.
Hunger strike is called off and strategies for a new direction are prepared.
Case #2
Right to information protests:7th-21st aug

Sit in and rally.

Venue: Jantar Mantar

Parallel protests at north campus, Delhi University
Jawaharlal Nehru university

Protests against:the bill to be introduced in monsoon session of

parliament modifying the rti act to make the filing information undisclosable.

Non violent protests.

( a day wise breakup of events isn’t available however a description is being written)

An invitation was sent to colleges and support groups in form of posters and word of
mouth. However the concert of euphoria along with short speeches from Aruna roy
Arvind Kejriwal and other prominent leaders at Jantar Mantar kickstarted the protest on
7th august. A tent was erected at the dharna site and the protesters were camping there,
another group of supporters were staying at Ambedkar Bhavan near Panchkuian Marg.
Following the concert, a rally consisting of students from colleges around Delhi
And the supporters from Rajasthan , Haryana and other parts of the country moved to the
parliament house. They were stopped at Sansad Marg near the parliament street police
station where slogans and speeches happened and then a small delegation proceeded to
submit memorandum. Following this everyday a delegation used to go and submit
memorandum .Artists and singers from different places played an active role In
mobilizing the support at various campuses. A parallel protests was registered in north
campus of University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru university .Symbolic acts of satire
like ghotala rath and three faces were also enacted amongst places near Janpath
Connaught place , Karol bagh, YMCA and Bangla sahib area. On 20th august government
accepted the demand and the protest concluded on 21st.
Understanding protest routes taken by these protests.

While these protests were big , they weren’t exclusive in their selection/allocation of
space. However there are finer lines which separate them in terms of the nature of the
space and the thought behind it. NBA’s ( Narmada bachao andolan ) protest wasn’t a
direct urban protest and participants were predominantly affected settlers, tribal and niche
intelligentsia and academicians. Protest was at an urban setup predominantly because of
the place being a seat of power and decision making which affected the lives at non urban
settlements. While the issue was important and pressed for action the common urban
dweller wasn’t too keen to understand the issue as an immediate link was missing.
Rti protests were urban in nature, in terms of the issue and the involvement. There was an
immediate link and that helped mobilizing the urban crowd.

While the first leg of Nba’s protest was centred at Shram shakti bhavan at Rafi marg
,which houses the water resource ministry ,it was a direct protest against the move of
ministry and to put pressure on the ministry to reconsider the stand ,there was no intent to
make it a mass protest. The selection of location was also an obvious symbolic where the
protests were happening right at the seat of power which affected the lives of people
protesting, however after the forceful eviction and arrests there was a drastic change in
the construct of the protest.While the two repressive acts followed one after another
(stopping the candle light vigil in the evening and arrests in the afternoon),the protest
didn’t just remain against the dam but also against the repressing of democratic rights of a
citizen . This instantly connected with the urban population and an immediate missing
link was obtained as the cities perceived themselves as the centers of democracy and
freedom.

The proposed candle light vigil was to be taken from Rafi marg to India gate via Raisina
road to Ashoka road. Important landmarks on the way were office of the press club of
India, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation , Indian newspaper society, hotel Le Meridian and India
gate. It was however stopped at the onset by act 144.
The protest then based itself at jantarmantar. Few key things about jantar mantar as a
protest space are
• Access to phone booths,faxes and photocopiers on the kerala bhavan way.
• Access to press club,Press trust of India and INS (Indian newspaper society) for
distribution of press releases.Media centres at these places offer paid internet
service and documentation facilities.
• Access to bus stops both at ashok road and rafi marg for commution
• Access to canteens and gurudwaras for food.
• Access to constitution club (generally mavlankar hall restaurant )for press
conference.
• Centrally located in delhi for supporters to locate .
• Railway station and ambedkar bhavan (where outstation protesters mostly stay)
easily accessible

Everyday the police mentains a record of people protesting at jantar mantar,the name of
the respective leaders and the issue of protests and this is a routine record.

Interestingly RTI protests also found ground at JNU and North campus DU ,where
solidarity meetings were held and symbolic performances by artists and singers carried
out, signature campaigns and public polling were also organized which received an
enthusiastic response .however a film screening in solidarity with NBA at IIT campus
received lukewarm response.

Author somewhere feels it is to do with what a community feels threatened about that it
protests.Though protesters may have a bigger setup in mind but the mass participation
may be more of a reaction out of insecurity than out of what is right and wrong in a
democracy.Anti reservation campaigns at elite urban educational institutions indicate as
to what could be extremely compartmentalized reaction, an urban coagulation against
something immediately threatening.
Coming back to spaces , the Ghotala rath during the RTI protests roamed in and around
bangle sahib to inside the connaught circle and janpath creating awareness about the issue
and covering prominent public places which are otherwise not protest spaces.

Protest spaces in delhi, and related routes

Ramlila maidan: located near dariaganj, ramlila maidan has generally been used to
organize massive rallies in between prolonging protests. Its generally used to show mass
base of the protest as the maidan is huge and can accommodate a lot of people.generally
protesters join from ajmeri gate end of the new delhi station to meet the other set of
protesters who assemble at ramlila maidan and then the rally generally takes the
Jawaharlal Nehru road via MCD office and kamla market to come to Jantar mantar or
parliament street police station

India gate: call it rang de basanti effect ,but soon after the movie propagated the idea of
India gate as a protest space, its been the favourite destination of protesters.however
obtaining permission for protesting here is a difficult task.

Dilli gate: it was an active protest area pre independence ,it however lost its prominence
owing to ramlila maidan in close vicinity.

Boat club: an area for brainstorming and heated intellectual arguments,it remained a
niche protest area but never gained prominence .

Aurangzeb road, Janpath: they gained prominence as protest spaces during JP’s
movement ,however, for a very limited period.
.