Ramlila anniversary may be held at same ground

Ramdev, who wanted to hold a protest on the first anniversary of the midnight crackdown on his supporters at Ramlila Maidan, may have to move to same ground to do it.

Ramdev, who wanted to hold a protest on the first anniversary of the midnight crackdown on his supporters at Ramlila Maidan, may have to move to same ground to do it.

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The yoga guru had applied for permission from Delhi Police to hold a one-day protest at Jantar Mantar on June 3.

The Delhi Police and organisers of the protest are still in talks about how many will show up on the day.

“Jantar Mantar can handle only 5,000 people and since both Anna Hazare and Ramdev will be on stage, the 5,000 mark will be crossed easily. We are asking organisers to give us in written that the number will not exceed 3,000, and only then will we permit them. Otherwise, they will have to move to either Ramlila or some other ground,” a senior police officer said.

Normally, police take an undertaking from organisers saying that the number of protesters will not exceed 5,000, but in this case the limit is 3,000.

Police’s logic is that there would be additional security and a lot of space will be taken up by mediapersons too.

“On earlier occasions, we have seen that mediapersons take up a lot of space near the stage. Apart from that, Ramdev also has his personal security. The threat perception will be high since both Anna Hazare and Ramdev will be present. Thus, we have asked them to reduce the number to 3,000,” the officer added.