CJP’s Jantar Mantar stage dismantled after Parliament march; protesters to stay put
The road leading to the Jantar Mantar protest site was closed from both sides. The scene where activist Sonam Wangchuk addressed her supporters and observed the hunger strike was no longer there. So are the black tarpaulins, student camps, tents, banners, posters, carpets and mattresses that mark the site of the month-long protest of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
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The only people left in the area were workers clearing the area, police and paramilitary personnel, and police vehicles were standing nearby.
However, more than 1,000 protesters were stranded on the road, about 200 meters away from the protest site.
After the stage ended, they gathered on the road and called out to each other through speakers matching the tempo. While some stood on the vehicle, some chanted slogans around the vehicle.
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But the day’s events divided the protesters.
Some were disappointed that the mobilization did not lead to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the demand around which the protest was built. Others injured as a result of police action said the baton charge and the dispersal of the protest area strengthened their resolve to continue.
25-year-old Anushka, who had a bandage on her arm, said, “We came here to demand Pradhan’s resignation, but nothing happened. Many of us were hit with a lath.”
Police action during the march towards parliament was the dominant issue among protesters, who said they were repeatedly misled by roads being opened and closed before encountering multi-layered barricades.
“They hit people’s heads and hands. Children were lying on the ground and they kept hitting them,” said 55-year-old Helen, one of the protesters.
Protesters claimed three to four people were broken and many others suffered bruises.
Manu Singh, a CJP volunteer from Noida, claimed that he had a fractured foot and bruises on his arm.
Some protesters said they could not leave the area because the stations were full and were held in subway stations for about 20 minutes.
Protesters also said authorities had stopped water supply to the area and were not allowed to bring water to the protest site. Young volunteers rushed to fetch water, which was then shared among those gathered.
“Some kids would run and get water and everyone would take a sip of the water,” one protester said.
Protesters also said internet jammers were placed in the area and communications and access to information were disrupted during the protest.
Despite the day’s adversities, some protesters said abandoning the agitation now would mean losing the ground they gained last month.
“If we give up now, everything will go back to the way it was. This is the strongest situation we’ve ever been in,” one protester said.
Another said the protest could rebuild physical infrastructure but could not easily restore the morale of those injured.
“A scene can be built and recreated. What is difficult to recreate is the morale of the people who lost it,” the protesters said.
Protesters also said that speakers at the meeting were stopped and microphones were broken during the day’s events.
HKP first organized a one-day protest at Jantar Mantar on June 6, and then started the sit-in protest on June 20, which continued until July 20.
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters gathered near Parliament Street and marched towards Parliament to demand accountability for alleged exam irregularities and the resignation of the education minister. Security personnel stopped the march, leading to clashes and intervention with batons to disperse the crowd.
CJP had earlier said that one of its key demands was addressed after a delegation met Union Minister JP Nadda. However, the protesters said the agitation will continue until Pradhan resigns.
