Youth take their fight to Parliament, face police action
A meeting with Union minister JP Nadda yielded no commitments even as clashes overshadowed the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session
On Monday morning, thousands of students, youth, and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) gathered at Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders issued by the Delhi Police. Many people had camped overnight at Jantar Mantar and the crowd grew as more joined from around the city. They called for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, citing exam irregularities, paper leaks in tests like NEET, and student deaths. Protesters shouted slogans calling for Pradhan’s resignation and carried signs about exam scams and the impact of system failures. Some protests also happened near metro stations after authorities closed some exits.
By late morning, the crowd started a planned march towards the Parliament. Around 11.25 am, as thousands of protesters tried to move past several barricades in the high-security area along the Parliament Street, near Shastri Bhawan, and other important spots, security forces used baton charge and tear gas on protestors.
Traffic stopped on major roads, metro services were limited, and police blocked demonstrators from reaching the Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session. Police also cut mobile internet in parts of central Delhi and closed several metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, and Seva Teerth, disrupting travel.
This incident is a major escalation in weeks of protests over exam irregularities, paper leaks, and problems in India’s education system.
The protest at Jantar Mantar had been growing for weeks and had become one of the largest gatherings against what many see as problems in the education system. The CJP has held a sit-in protest there since early June 2026.
The core demands include the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The main demands are for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, for those responsible for repeated exam paper leaks to be held accountable, for reforms to stop such problems, and for compensation to families of students who died by suicide due to exam stress (with reports mentioning over a dozen cases).
Delhi Police said they acted to keep order and stop unauthorised marches into restricted areas. They denied using too much force or causing many injuries, and called some reports misinformation. Protesters said that force was used against women and younger participants.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest with an indefinite hunger strike and was hospitalised on July 18 because of health issues. In a handwritten note from the hospital on Monday, Wangchuk said he would end his fast only if the Government took responsibility for the education system’s failures or if Members of Parliament from different parties promised to raise the issues in Parliament. Administrators are converging at the historic site to press their demands.
A delegation from the CJP met Union Minister JP Nadda after initial discussions began around noon. The meeting, described as cordial, took place in the afternoon. The delegation submitted a memorandum outlining their demands, including the Education Minister’s resignation, support for affected students and families, and related accountability measures. Nadda assured the group that their concerns would be conveyed to senior leadership for consideration. He also appealed to the protesters to end the sit-in and cooperate with efforts to restore normalcy in the area.
Opposition leaders sharply criticised the police response. Some said that using batons against students and youth protesters was an attack on democratic rights and the voices of young people. Several people were detained during the clashes, with estimates of 10-15 or more initially taken into custody. By Monday evening, the main protest was still underway at Jantar Mantar, though security forces had begun clearing some areas.
Govt urges CJP to end protests
The Union Government on Monday urged the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters to end their sit-in and help restore normalcy after a delegation met Union Minister JP Nadda over the NEET-UG paper leak. CJP sought Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, alleging repeated failures, including the NEET-UG 2026 leak. Nadda confirmed receiving a written memorandum, assuring the delegation that the Government would discuss the demands internally.
