Hundreds of people gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Friday to stage a protest over caste-based reservation and demand changes in the reservation system. The police later dispersed the protesters after the permitted time for the demonstration ended.The protest was called by ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, an Instagram page campaigning against the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and higher education policies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC) framework. The campaign, which has 5.6 million followers on Instagram, had asked supporters to gather in Delhi on August 21.By the afternoon, protesters from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and several other states had reached the site. Their demands, however, were not entirely uniform. Most called for the removal of reservation, while some said the system should instead be based on economic criteria.The protest also drew support from Ajeet Bharti, a YouTuber and political commentator, who had appealed to his audience on Thursday night to gather at the protest site. Bharti said he was at the demonstration as a supporter rather than an organiser.The issue of how reservation should be reformed was central to several conversations at the protest. Some participants argued that candidates should not lose opportunities because of their caste, while others focused on economic disadvantage as a possible basis for reservation.For some protesters, the issue was also about what they believed was the impact of the existing system on their families and children.Pradeep Sharma, a protester from Gwalior (MP), said he believed reservation had affected opportunities for his children. “The reservation laws are being enforced on people. That is not allowing my kids from general caste, who have scored better, to be considered for jobs or other exams,” Sharma said.Deependra Singh attended the protest with his wife, Jattvibeita Singh. “We don’t know if this protest will last as long as the CJP’s, but we will stay our ground,” he said.Jattvibeita said the government should listen to people raising their concerns through protests. “It’s as if now the government will only hear the people if they protest. This is not right. Why did then allowed CJP to protest without permission,” she said.She also spoke about her children and her own experience of looking for government employment. “My daughter cleared Chartered Accountant exams, it has no reservation. But what about my child who is in Class XII. I did triple MA and wasn’t able to get a government job because of the reservation system. I do not want my kids to suffer the same way.”Harsh Dubey, a student who was heading the protest, said the demonstrators intended to continue raising their demands. “The Delhi Police are using force on peaceful protestors. We were raising our demands peacefully, and did not obstruct the police,” he said.The protest also became a question of where and for how long the demonstrators would be allowed to remain.According to the Reservation Hatao Andolan, permission had originally been sought for Jantar Mantar about a month earlier. The group said the venue was changed to Ramlila Maidan on the day of the protest.“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 group said in a post responding to Delhi Police.The police had granted permission for a peaceful protest at Ramlila Maidan until 4 pm. After 4 pm, repeated announcements were made asking protesters to leave, with the police saying the permitted period had ended and that continuing the demonstration had become illegal as per a Supreme Court order.The situation escalated later in the evening. By around 7 pm, protesters were forcefully removed from the protest site, with several people detained by the Delhi Police.Security forces, including personnel from the Reserved Action Force, had been deployed in the area. Personnel were seen carrying tear gas ammunition as the police presence increased around the protest site.The dispersal did not immediately end the gathering. Protesters who were removed from Jantar Mantar regrouped in different parts of central Delhi, including Connaught Place, Janpath and Ashoka Road.The events marked another protest in the capital where a public gathering, its permitted limits and the manner of its dispersal became as significant as the demands that brought people on to the streets.For the protesters gathered on Friday, however, the central question remained reservation. One participant put the wider frustration in broader political terms. “I feel the government is focusing too much on religion, caste and communities. It is time the government should address real issues like reservation,” the protestor said.