Thousands of largely young, student protesters pushed through barricades and reached within about 100 metres of Parliament on Monday before being tear-gassed and baton-charged, The Hindu reported from the scene. A senior official said roughly 3,000 personnel were outnumbered despite an internet shutdown. The leaderless crowd, marching from Jantar Mantar over NEET exam grievances, was finally blocked by buses near the complex.
Delhi Police say more than 70 people have been detained and several FIRs registered after violence at the Jantar Mantar protest, with CCTV and phone recordings being examined to identify those involved. Unnamed police sources claim some posts about the unrest trace to Pakistani accounts, including a false report of seven deaths. Officers say over 50 personnel were injured by stone-pelting.
Sonam Wangchuk called off his 23-day hunger strike on Monday after Union Minister JP Nadda met protesters at Jantar Mantar. He had been moved to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 with dehydration, low potassium and rising ketone levels. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also broke his fast, urged on by Wangchuk and a bereaved father, saying the education reform campaign continues.
Protesters kept streaming into the Cockroach Janta Party's designated site at Jantar Mantar through the day, settling in for a night vigil ahead of Monday's planned march to Parliament. Organisers pressed on with preparations as the crowd swelled, turning the demonstration into an overnight occupation on the eve of the Monsoon Session's opening day in Delhi.
The Cockroach Janta Party's protest site at Jantar Mantar overflowed as crowds swelled to unprecedented levels following activist Sonam Wangchuk's forced hospitalisation. The turnout came ahead of the party's planned march to Parliament, with Wangchuk's removal from his hunger strike galvanising demonstrators and sharpening the confrontation with authorities.
Actor Shabana Azmi visited Jantar Mantar to back demonstrators protesting alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, lending a prominent voice to the students' campaign. Separately, a recent joint appearance by Arjun Kapoor and Sahiba Bali has fuelled dating speculation among fans and entertainment commentators.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk will end his hunger strike if the issue of education accountability is raised during Parliament's Monsoon Session, his wife Gitanjali conveyed at the Jantar Mantar protest. She relayed his appeal that Monday's march be conducted peacefully and that the protest not be misused.
Delhi Traffic Police told commuters to avoid Rafi Marg, Raisina Road, Parliament Street, Ashoka Road and other central stretches from Monday as the Monsoon Session opens, suggesting Janpath, Akbar Road and Shanti Path instead. Police separately said no permission was sought or granted for the proposed march to Parliament, with Section 163 prohibitory orders covering New Delhi district except Jantar Mantar.
Actor Shabana Azmi visited Jantar Mantar in support of protesters over alleged NEET irregularities and met Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is on hunger strike. Her presence added celebrity weight to the students' campaign as the protest built towards the party's planned march on Parliament.
Actors Prakash Raj and Shabana Azmi joined the Cockroach Janata Party protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi ahead of the July 20 march. Azmi was seen kissing the hands of a demonstrator on hunger strike, a gesture widely shared online as the protest gathered public attention.
Actor Poonam Pandey joined the Cockroach Janata Party protest at Jantar Mantar in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and students agitating over the alleged NEET paper leak. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, she expressed concern for Wangchuk's health and those fasting alongside him, stressing the protest was about students rather than politics or religion.