Delhi woke up to a slight drizzle on Monday, July 20, but that couldn’t deter tens of thousands of students, parents, political leaders, activists, and even actors from joining the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led protest at Jantar Mantar. As crowds gathered near the protest site in the national capital to march towards the Parliament, they had only one demand — Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
There was a sense of anger and disappointment among those present, questioning the government’s silence over the month-long protests, which gained fresh momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk was whisked away from the protest site by the police on Saturday. Most said that they just want the government to take accountability for the alleged irregularities in the competitive examinations. Some even demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation.
As the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march coincided with the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the government finally swung into action. CJP representatives were called in to meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister JP Nadda. However, so far, there has been no commitment or assurance that their demands will be met.
Undettered and Unfazed
People travelled from across the country to join the protests and as per media reports, nearly 50,000 had joined the march by midday.
Zaina, a student from Jaipur, Rajasthan, had appeared for NEET examination along with her cousin in May 2026. But as the paper was cancelled over allegation of questions being leaked, her cousin died by suicide. His family had borrowed Rs 15 lakhs to support his dream of becoming a doctor.
We are the future of the country. If our prime minister had even the slightest love for this young nation, he would not have made us wait this long.
Zaina, Student
She continued, “We are young student leaders. We represent youth organisations. We are the power of the youth. If we have the strength to elevate you to the position of [the] prime minister, we also have the power to bring you down.”
Underscoring the need to strengthen the education system, Deena Bharti, 47-year-old biology professor from the same state, said, “I am worried about the future of [my] students. The demands are absolutely right. My point is how is it that a question paper leaks from the very place where it is being printed?”
Several parents present at the site demanded accountability from the government and said that this fight is for the future of their children. “Just imagine parents collect every penny to support their child’s education, only to see them sitting at home unemployed. How must that feel?,” questioned Malti Yadav, a mother of four.
As protesters braved tear gas shells and lathi-charge by Delhi police, they remained unfazed even in the face of violence. Some were even detained.
21-year-old Mohammad Lukman, who hail from Nuh, Haryana, said, “The police just lathi-charged us. Yet, I have not backed down. I am standing at the very front and I will remain here until my last breath. Dharmendra Pradhan must resign. We will not leave this spot until he does.”
Priyanshi Singh, a student of physical education at Delhi University, said, “The girls who were there got beaten with lathis (baton); one girl is bleeding from her leg, someone else suffered a head injury, and others had to be taken away in ambulances. There is even a boy whose fate is unknown, we don’t even know if he is alive or dead.”
‘The Fight Continues’
Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the past 23 days, had earlier said during the day that he will end his fast if the government gives him assurance that the matter will be raised in the Parliament or they take accountability for the lapses.
However, as the day progressed none of these two demands were met and Wangchuk said that he will continue his hunger strike until the CJP leaders are allowed to meet the parliamentarians. Meanwhile, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo continue the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar.
Jantar Mantar: A Symbol of Resistance
Jantar Mantar has been the designated protest site since 1993. In the past 33 years, the site has seen some major protests seeking resignations, introduction of Bills, and accountability from those in power.
The protests in 2011, led by Anna Hazare, sought the enactment of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Hazare had sat on multiple hunger strikes and eventually ended them after the then Congress government passed a resolution accepting his core demands.
The National Green Tribunal, in October 2017, banned all protests and sit-ins at Jantar Mantar citing violations of environmental laws. However, the Supreme Court of India passed a ruling in July 2018 striking this down and said that there could not be a “complete ban” on protests at the site.
The site also saw Indian wrestlers protesting in 2023 to demand an enquiry into allegations of harassment against former Lok Sabha BJP MP and Wrestling’ Federation of India’s President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The hunger strike started by Wangchuk was the latest protest that took place at the site.