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Informist, Monday, Jul. 20, 2026

 

By Shakshi Jain, Asim Khan, and Sagar Sen

 

NEW DELHI – Monday started with loud and energetic chants of "Isteefa do, Isteefa do," in central Delhi, directed at the demand for resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan--as well as that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi--but expanded through the course of the day to cover wider issues, including donation theft tied to the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, equal rights for sexual and gender minorities, and the long-standing demand by Panun Kashmir for a separate Union Territory within the Kashmir Valley for displaced Kashmiri Hindus.

 

Slogans like "Chanda Chor, Gaddi Chhod" could be heard along with "Darmendra Pradhan Isteefa Do, Isteefa Do". Every lane leading to Jantar Mantar was brimming with people from different walks of life. Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in diverse groups of various sizes, responding to the call by the Cockroach Janta Party and activist Sonam Wangchuk to join the demonstration. The crowd spread to various parts of Connaught Place after attempts to proceed towards the Parliament House failed. Logistical confusion and lack of direction regarding the next steps of the planned march prevailed.

 

Delhi Police personnel, the Central Reserve Police Force, and the Rapid Action Force, armed with anti-riot gear, batons, and tear gas shells, formed the multi-layered security ring around the protest site and surrounding areas. Signal jammers disrupted mobile networks in a near-2 kilometre radius surrounding Jantar Mantar.

 

Footfall at the Rajiv Chowk Metro Station in the heart of the capital rose dramatically after the Delhi Metro Rail Corp. closed five stations over security concerns in view of the protest march. "The crowd today is triple the size visible on a usual day," a security personnel deployed at the station said.

 

Traffic and delays were seen on roads, too, as multiple routes leading to the Parliament complex were restricted and barricaded by security forces.  

 

Supporters from across the country joined the protest. Arunima, a 30-year-old corporate employee, travelled to the Capital from Mumbai on Sunday and could be seen supplying water bottles to fellow protestors, bearing the expenses herself.

 

Retired Naval Petty Officer Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Delhi, came to register a silent protest in support of the demand for education reforms. "I do not plan to march towards Parliament," he said, citing fear of the law.

 

Meanwhile members of the Cockroach Janta Party posted regular updates on their social media accounts. "...Ashutosh Ranka and I, on behalf of the Cockroach Janta Party, are on our way to meet J.P. Nadda. The government had reached out for talks in the morning," Spokesperson Saurav Das had said in a post on X earlier in the day.

 

POLICE CRACKDOWN

Around 1400 IST, Rapid Action Force personnel could be seen gearing up for action before the Delhi Police headquarters located on Jai Singh Marg. Soon, clashes between the protestors and the security forces were seen. Protestors were seen pelting stones and lighting firecrackers while security personnel fired tear gas and resorted to lathi charges to disperse the demonstrators. Ambulances could be seen transporting injured protestors to nearby hospitals.

 

"Truck loaded with stones have been parked at Jantar Mantar," founding president of the Cockroach Janta Party Abhijeet Dipke had earlier said in an X post. High-end shops downed their shutters and the Janpath market remained shut. General public largely avoided the affected area while parking lots remained deserted.   End

 

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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