The Cockroach Janta Party's ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar escalates with calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, amid reports of police violence and internet shutdowns.
New Delhi, India Jul 23, 2026 ALN: The Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) indefinite protest entered its 34th day on Thursday at Delhi's Jantar Mantar amid heightened security and fresh allegations of an internet shutdown at the protest site. The party claimed the move was aimed at disrupting communication among protesters and expressed fears of another police crackdown, while urging supporters to remain peaceful.
The protest follows violent clashes on Wednesday after demonstrators marching towards Parliament spilled onto Sansad Marg. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, while some protesters allegedly hurled stones at security personnel and chased them along Connaught Place's main radial road, leaving several police personnel injured and prompting tighter security across central Delhi.
The CJP has vowed to continue its indefinite agitation, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged failures in the education system.
People found to have been directly involved in what Delhi Police has described as "rioting" during the CJP protest could face passport cancellation, a Delhi Police source told PTI, adding that action would be taken against those identified through the investigation.
Union Minister J P Nadda has once again said he is ready to hold talks with representatives of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), inviting them to meet either at his residence or office to discuss their demands.
The offer comes after the CJP leaders rejected Nadda's invitation earlier in the day, reiterating that it would hold talks with the government only at a neutral venue.
The New Delhi Traders Association has advised all shops, offices and restaurants in Connaught Place to close by 6.30 pm on Thursday, saying the decision was taken on the advice of the NDMC chairman and vice chairman due to a "critical situation" in the area.
As the CJP protest continues at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, social media has become a hub for crowdsourced survival tips aimed at helping demonstrators cope with internet shutdowns, tear gas and police action.
Protesters are sharing practical advice on staying connected, including downloading offline maps before arriving at the protest site, using Bluetooth-based messaging apps that work without mobile data or WiFi, and installing locally run large language models (LLMs) that can function without internet access.
Some users have also recommended LoRa-based communication devices for long-range messaging when mobile networks fail and urged protesters to save the contact details of nearby residents for emergencies.
Advice on dealing with tear gas is also being widely circulated, with one user suggesting a mixture of equal parts water and an antacid such as Maalox or Digene to help ease eye irritation, while others recommend carrying protective goggles and dust masks.
Some protesters have devised improvised protective measures, including placing thermocol sheets inside clothing to cushion baton blows and carrying spare clothes and helmets for fellow demonstrators, highlighting a growing reliance on community-driven advice during the ongoing agitation.
The first thought Ajay Duggal had when he saw his nephew, his eyes shut, his face, neck and chest pockmarked with tiny red perforations, was this: "What if the 19-year-old loses his sight completely?"
Sahil Lochab was allegedly hit by a pellet gun in his right eye during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi on July 20. His uncle asked him what he could see from the eye.
The reply chilled him - there was nothing. No blur, no haze, only darkness.
"Sahil said he was hit directly in his eye. From what we have been told, another operation involving the pupil will determine whether his vision will return," Duggal told PTI.
Sahil has undergone one surgery to repair the injured eye and remove pellets and is awaiting another. The teen from Najafgarh was among the 60 protesters injured, according to Delhi Police estimates.
Addressing the ongoing protest over the NEET paper leak, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday claimed that some students who were initially affected by the paper leak had later "taken advantage" of the situation by preparing more and ultimately performing better, while defending the government's handling of the episode.
"... If this response is not come from the government of making sure the arrests are done in time re-exam happen on time and on time post the incident, an announcement of the results and young people are now finding the institutions where they have to go for the higher education. All this is happening and there are young people who are coming out and saying yes, first it sort of hurt me when the paper leakages happened but later I took advantage of that and prepared even more and my performance has improved and I've done well. So there are people who looked at it, even young people who have taken this challenge and faced this, and come out bright in bright colors. So with all this, the government is responding, PM is responding," Sitharaman told ANI.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday over students' protest, saying he takes credit for "going to Mars", so now it is time for him to take responsibility for his actions.
Speaking with reporters in Parliament House complex, she said the prime minister has posted on social media that he cares for children when just last night he got them "teargassed and beaten up".
"Have you ever seen in the history of our democracy that MPs from the ruling side are standing outside and protesting. Since how many sessions is this going on and they are not able to run this ( Parliament session). What is happening outside. He is weak and coward," she said, attacking the prime minister.
Asked about reports of internet being shut down in certain areas of central Delhi, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Are we living in a democracy? Think about it, children are protesting... they have cut the internet, what are they doing? Students are not terrorists. Their parents would be worried, their families would be worried, they cannot contact anyone. They are putting teargas on them, they are beating them. What kind of democracy is this?"
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Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday invited the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) for talks, but its leaders turned down the proposal, sources said.
On Wednesday too, the CJP had been invited for talks with Nadda, but it turned down the invitation, saying it will hold talks with the government only at a neutral venue.
According to a PTI source, "An invitation was sent to the CJP by J P Nadda for talks today, but those sitting on the stage at the protest site turned down the invitation."
Addressing a press briefing at Jantar Mantar, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said police informed the protesters on Thursday morning that Nadda had invited them to his residence.
"We refused to go to anyone's house or office. The people's court is here. Ministers should come among the people. If they want to talk, it should be held at the Jantar Mantar," Das said, adding that the CJP remained open to dialogue and would consider a neutral venue near the protest site if there were security concerns.
Arvind Kejriwal slammed Prime Minister Modi's announcement on setting up fast-track courts for paper leak cases, saying it does not address the protesters' core demands.
Kejriwal said, “Just now, the Prime Minister posted on ‘X’ that fast-track courts will be set up to punish those involved in paper leak cases. But, Prime Minister, the students did not even ask for this. This was never their demand.”
He argued that India already has fast-track courts for several categories of cases, but justice is often delayed.
“There are already many fast-track courts in this country. They exist for rape cases, POCSO cases, and several other matters. Yet justice is often delayed. In some cases, fast-track courts take even longer than the normal judicial process,” he said.
“It seems that you are still trying to protect the Education Minister. You did not even address the students' demand for the resignation of the Education Minister,” he said.
Social activist Anna Hazare observed a two-hour-long 'maun andolan' at Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra to extend his support for protesting students in Delhi.
“Anna began his protest at 11 a.m. and ended it at 1 p.m.,” the social activist’s aide Datta Awari told PTI.
Hazare, who held the protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Ahilyanagar, later left for his village Ralegan Siddhi, located in the same district. Hazare wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) saying “the news of violence and police action is extremely painful”.
The Delhi Lieutenant Governor has authorised the Delhi Police Commissioner to exercise the powers of a detaining authority under the National Security Act (NSA) for a period of three months. According to the order, the authorisation will remain in force from July 19, 2026, to October 18, 2026. During this period, the police commissioner will be empowered to issue detention orders under the provisions of the NSA.
The Mumbai police on Thursday ordered an inquiry into a video purportedly showing a cop threatening student protesters to slap cases against them after planting drugs on them if they returned to agitate, an official said.
The widely shared video alleges that a police driver warned the students they would be implicated in fabricated narcotics cases and made to spend the rest of their lives in jail if they participated in further protests.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge says that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign before any discussion can happen in Parliament.
Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo appealed to not associate violence elsewhere in Delhi to the protests at Jantar Mantar. “The students’ protest is taking place peacefully at Jantar Mantar. If there are reports of violence elsewhere in Delhi, please do not rush to attribute them to this movement without evidence. Those who genuinely know these young people have seen their extraordinary patience, discipline and restraint,” she said in a social media post.
“I often wonder: what kind of system is so quick to distrust its own students? Why is it easier to question their intentions than to hear their concerns? Our children deserve to be protected, not portrayed as villains. Their voices deserve to be heard, not drowned out by narratives that serve vested interests,” she said in a post.
The Delhi High Court will on Friday hear a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a probe into the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest over alleged examination irregularities at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The PIL was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, with the petitioner's counsel urging that the matter be listed urgently.
"This is against the so-called student agitation. They have made the entire Delhi hostage. Roads have been blocked. Citizens of Delhi are suffering," advocate Barun Kumar Sinha submitted.
"Alright. Tomorrow," Chief Justice Upadhyaya responded.
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Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday took note of the SCBA's plea that several metro stations have been closed making it difficult for lawyers and litigants to come to court and said he will intervene if the matter is not resolved by lunch time.
Delhi Police inspector alleges assault by mob near Jantar Mantar, says he was attacked on way to duty
A Delhi Police inspector was injured after being allegedly attacked by a crowd near Jantar Mantar while on his way to night duty, officials said.
Inspector Nand Kishor Singh, who sustained injuries in the incident, claimed he was walking towards his office after parking his motorcycle near Hanuman Temple when he encountered a large gathering near the Parliament Street junction.
“I had my night duty yesterday. I parked my bike at Hanuman Temple and was walking towards Jantar Mantar. There was a huge crowd everywhere,” Singh told news agency PTI.
He alleged that a group of 100-150 people attacked him as he made his way through the area. “As I tried to get out of there, they assaulted me with lathis, sticks, stones, and whatever sharp objects they had in their hands. I sustained injuries and somehow managed to escape from the spot,” he said.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on action against paper leaks did not address the issue of accountability and reiterated its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Modi, in a post on X on Thursday morning, announced setting up of fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks, and said, "nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth".
Reacting to the prime minister's post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared an image of Pradhan carrying the caption, "Hi, my name is nothing", while the CJP posted, "Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign."
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Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on fast-track courts for paper leak cases, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the government's measures do not address the root cause of recurring exam leaks.
“It is good that after one and a half months of protests, the Prime Minister has finally taken notice,” Ranka said, adding that pun
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