Delhi Police and paramilitary forces on Monday baton-charged protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar in India.
For weeks, demonstrations have continued their protests at the site in the Indian capital, with participants demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over leaks involving the medical entrance examination NEET. The protest, organized by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), was led by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was removed by police on the 21st day of his hunger strike and is currently held at Safdarjung Hospital.
Security forces cordoned off the area prior to the scheduled march, setting up barricades and deploying hundreds of personnel alongside water cannons.
Visuals shared by an Indian media outlet showed authorities cracking down on the crowd.
Despite the documentation, Delhi Police issued a statement on X denying allegations of unprovoked force, “It is informed that no such incident has taken place and protest is being handled professionally. All are requested not to fall prey to any rumour/misgivings, and, to assist Delhi Police in maintaining peace and public order at and around the site.”
Earlier in the day, CJP founder-president Abhijeet Dipke announced his intention to proceed with a march despite the police ban.
Addressing the crowd, Dipke stated, “The biggest march in India’s history is about to take place. For the past 10-12 years, attempts have been made to destroy democracy in this country. By sitting at Jantar Mantar for a month, you have revived democracy. People are arriving from all over the country. When I was in the USA, people used to tell me that no one would take to the streets, that it would remain nothing more than a social media trend. Look today at the four roads leading to Jantar Mantar; all of them are completely packed…No one can stop us from going to Parliament.”
Concurrently, three activists from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) Neha, Manish, and Aameen ended their 23-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.
The decision followed a visit from a delegation of opposition lawmakers, civil society members, and public figures, including (Member of Parliament) MP Manoj Jha, Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) MP Amra Ram, social activist Yogendra Yadav, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, academic Atul Sood, and actors Prakash Raj and Shabana Azmi.
The delegation assured the activists that their demands would be raised in Parliament during the Monsoon Session.
Previously, Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, stated that her husband would terminate his fast if political leaders met him at the hospital to guarantee that the protest issues would be raised in Parliament.
As part of the security operations, authorities closed five Delhi Metro stations including Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, and Seva Teerth. The closures left hundreds of commuters stranded, forcing them to take alternate routes to reach their destinations.
