It's strange but true. Jantar Mantar — the famous hub for all protests by Delhiites and those from other parts of the country — is a drug haven. A walk and a quick chat with the food vendors and chai wallahs around the place reveals that if one wants to get good quality 'stuff', all one has to do is ask the 'langda man' — the man with the crutches — who organises all the ganja operations.
It's strange but true. Jantar Mantar — the famous hub for all protests by Delhiites and those from other parts of the country — is a drug haven. A walk and a quick chat with the food vendors and chai wallahs around the place reveals that if one wants to get good quality 'stuff', all one has to do is ask the 'langda man' — the man with the crutches — who organises all the ganja operations.
The vendors are all too eager to act as go betweens, though the questions come thick and fast. Do you want ganja? How much? Should I score for you? Such questions reveal that the drug trade here is an open secret.
It's not difficult to find the 'langda man' Umesh Singh, as he is known. Sitting some distance away in a made up tent, surfing Facebook on his mobile phone with earplugs on, Singh is in a world away from the protests that happen every day and the conversation at first is strictly business-like.
"What kind of stuff do you need, madam?" asks the 30-year-old Umesh who refused to be photogpraghed. He knows what to buy, where to get it at any odd hour, and how much to pay for it. And his customers? Well, they are everyone from the protestors, who have been giving dharnas for months and years, visitors, and sometimes even media people. "The best and potent 'maal' I get from Lodi Road, Nizamuddin area, Nehru Stadium, and near Dyal Singh College, for Rs 500 per 10 gramme. Young women like you roll as many as eight joints a day," he says.
A brief chat about his background reveals that Umesh left his village near Patna in 1998, after both his parents died of illness. He came to the Capital and joined an organisation called the Rashtriya Divyam Sena, which he claims works for the rights and welfare of physically challenged people. In a bid to get the government to pay attention to their demands, Singh, and a couple of others, started a protest which began on September 2, 2016 and continues till date, for which he claims the organisation pays him and a few others. In the meantime, he discovered a business in the drug trade which he says, keeps him and other physically challenged people employed
"Madam, I want to help all the handicapped people here. I have already helped eight handicapped people find work," says Umesh.
Asked about the modus operandi of his business Singh reveals that his drug trade caters to people from all economic backgrounds. There are cheaper versions of ganja available for those who have been living in the protest sadak for too long and do not have any vidhayaks to provide them with money. The low-cost ganja cost around Rs 100 per pudiya and is less potent than other higher cost models.
Speaking about the protesters who take drugs, Singh says he believes that ganja not only gives peace of mind but cures cancer as well. "Dharne pe baithe hain, taish mein nahin aa sakte, isliye daaru acchi nahin, ganja dimaag shaant rakhta hai aur cancer bhi rokta hai," says Singh.
As for his suppliers, Singh confirms peddlers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and even Odisha come specially to supply 'stuff' at the Jantar Mantar protest areas, otherwise, it is always readily available near Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place.
It is not surprising that Singh finds the drug business at Jantar Mantar such a lucrative trade. In 2014, Delhi Police had launched an advertisement which read, "Want to hold dharna/protest? Up to 5,000 persons. Welcome to Jantar Mantar." The continuous protests ensure that Singh's drug business continues to survive.
The other customers are the life-long protesters, protesters who once came to Jantar Mantar and now stay there. Some of them have been living here for so long that they receive letters at their Jantar Mantar address. Some of them have possessions, most of which are replies to their letters from ministries; some are just waiting to get the right to commit suicide, and some others just want to prove that they are alive because in government records they have been declared dead. All of them are potential customers and Singh continues to be in demand at the protest hub.
Marketplace for protests
In the last few years, Jantar Mantar has become the one stop place for any updates on 'political' news or social agendas. Protests are so common here that the entire street has become a market place for both protestors and visitors. On days of large-scale protests, you'll find vendors selling everything, from Indian flags and caps, to sunglasses, banners, and sometimes even Nehru jackets. Food vendors and chai wallas at the site say that they keep themselves updated on the protest topics and based on that they source the raw material for the day.
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