The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a march from Jantar Mantar, where the protestors have been camped for a month, to the Parliament, attracting a huge response, with thousands descending on the designated protest site on Monday. (Also read: Shabana Azmi suffers dizziness after her health deteriorates at CJP protest, volunteers take her aside to rest)
The ‘Chalo Sansad‘ march, organised to protest examination irregularities and demand the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, met a wall of heavily deployed security personnel as protesters attempted to reach Parliament on the opening day of the monsoon session.
What Elvish said
YouTuber Elvish Yadav has now joined the conversation and spoken out on the matter. He took to his X account and wrote, “I’m neither a BJP supporter nor a Congress supporter. But what is happening to the students is completely wrong.
The students who came forward with genuine issues should not have been subjected to violence. Their concerns deserve to be heard, and appropriate action should be taken.”
What the police said
According to a police statement, despite repeated warnings and lawful directions, the protesters “refused to disperse and deliberately violated the prohibitory orders in force”. The cops also alleged that the protesters “attacked” police personnel with stones and other objects, attempted to breach police barricades, vandalised police and other government vehicles, damaged public property, and “resorted to large-scale violence, posing a serious threat to public order, the security arrangements in place, and the safety of police personnel performing their lawful duties.”
“As a result, more than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, including senior officers of the ranks of Special Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police, besides several women police personnel. During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to have been injured. The medico-legal examination (MLC) of the remaining injured police personnel is underway,” the statement said.
Protesters were detained from several areas, including Mandi House, Patel Chowk, Janpath, Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street on Monday as security forces tried to prevent demonstrators from assembling and marching towards Parliament.
Security forces also used tear gas near Shastri Bhawan after protesters attempted to push through barricades.
Later in the evening, the police tried to clear out the protest and even dismantled the stage at the site. CJP said they would stay put and the protest would go on despite the action.
