Mobile services, internet suspended near Jantar-Mantar amid ongoing CJP protests

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered a temporary suspension of mobile internet services within a 1.5-kilometer radius of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The directive, issued under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, enforces an eight-hour shutdown till midnight on Thursday, July 23. Authorities cited public safety concerns and the need to prevent potential incitement of offenses as the primary justification for the restriction.

The formal communication was issued following approval by the Union Home Secretary, who deemed the measure necessary to avert a potential public emergency and maintain public order. Signed by Under Secretary Mahendra Vikram Singh, the official order was forwarded directly to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, for immediate enforcement across all mobile network technologies operating within the designated perimeter.

This administrative measure follows ongoing demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, where participants have gathered to protest alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks. Security forces have intensified oversight around the central Delhi protest site in recent days following heightened tensions and earlier clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement personnel during parliamentary marches