Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Azad Links Reservation Protest to Poona Pact Anniversary, Permission Row
Chandrashekhar Azad’s party planned a protest supporting reservations on September 24.
Azad said Delhi Police cancelled permission for the event at Jantar Mantar.
The police permission issue has not stopped his party from promoting the programme.
Azad asked people to hold protests in districts across the country instead.
September 24 is important because the Poona Pact was signed on that date in 1932.
The pact gave reserved seats to the Depressed Classes but kept them in a shared voting system.
B.R. Ambedkar had earlier supported separate electorates to give Dalits more independent political representation.
Azad recently renewed that separate-electorate demand, linking the current protest to this older debate.
Chandrashekhar Azad said Delhi Police denied permission for his September 24 protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Azad Samaj Party had announced the one-day pro-reservation demonstration on September 17.
After the reported denial, Azad called for district-level demonstrations across India on September 24.
The date marks the 1932 Poona Pact, which replaced separate electorates for the Depressed Classes with reserved seats in joint electorates.
Azad had earlier revived the demand for separate electorates for Dalits during a Lok Sabha speech in April.
- Who
- Chandrashekhar Azad, the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), the Bhim Army, and Delhi Police are central to the dispute; the historical episode involved B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.
- What
- A planned pro-reservation protest at Jantar Mantar was reportedly denied permission, prompting Azad to call for district-level protests and renew debate over separate electorates.
- When
- The proposed demonstration was scheduled for September 24; Azad said the permission was denied on September 22. The Poona Pact was signed on September 24, 1932.
- Where
- The planned protest was at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, while the alternative demonstrations were called for districts across India.
- Why
- Azad said the mobilisation would continue to challenge reservation-related issues; September 24 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Poona Pact.
Azad and supporters
Delhi Police and permission process
Whether the Jantar Mantar protest could proceed
Azad and supporters
Azad claimed Delhi Police cancelled permission shortly before the September 24 demonstration and said the movement would continue through district-level protests.
Delhi Police and permission process
The article reports the police denial as Azad’s claim but provides no explanation or public response from Delhi Police.
Political representation for Dalits
Azad and supporters
Azad has argued that separate electorates are needed because existing reservations have not genuinely empowered Dalits and other backward communities.
Delhi Police and permission process
The Poona Pact model rejected separate electorates for the Depressed Classes and instead provided reserved seats within a joint electorate.
- Planned date
- September 24
- Planned venue
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi
- Permission claim
- Azad said Delhi Police denied permission on September 22
- Organiser
- Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram)
- Historical date
- The Poona Pact was signed on September 24, 1932
- Poona Pact arrangement
- Reserved seats for the Depressed Classes within a joint electorate
- Alternative plan
- District-level demonstrations across the country