CJP’s night vigil begins, crowds camp at Jantar Mantar on eve of Parliament march call

As Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke’s call for a vigil received huge backlash ahead of the proposed one, banners, slogans and growing crowds turned Jantar Mantar into a jam-packed protest camp on Sunday, July 19, 2026. “Chalo Sansad“March on Monday, July 20.

Amid the growing crowd, Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J. Angmo announced that the activist will end her hunger strike on Monday, July 20, if political leaders meet her at Safdarjung Hospital and assure her that the issue of education accountability will be the focus of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Crowds continued to flock to CJP’s protest site at Jantar Mantar throughout the day as preparations for Monday’s Parliament march ramped up.

CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das claimed that even before the planned mobilisation, around 20,000 people were “in and around Jantar Mantar”.

Mr Das said in a post on Many political leaders and public figures also supported the protest.

Actors Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj visited Jantar Mantar and joined Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai to express their solidarity with the agitation.

“July 20 will be a historic day. The Center will have to yield,” Bharadwaj said. he said. He said he had no information whether AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal would join the protest. Mr Rai condemned Mr Wangchuk’s forced removal from the protest site and urged supporters to keep Monday’s march peaceful.

Addressing the meeting, Azmi reiterated his support for Mr Wangchuk and the CJP and said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to initiate dialogue with the protesters. Prakash Raj chanted “Jai Bhim” slogans and said he would spend the night at the protest site before joining Monday’s march.

CJP members shared photos and videos on social media showing the protest area packed with supporters, claiming that people from different parts of the country had started arriving for Monday’s mobilization.

Addressing supporters via video message, Dipke urged them to stay at Jantar Mantar throughout the night and said that their presence was essential for the parliamentary march to proceed peacefully.

“Our protest continues. Please come here in large numbers. Stay here the night. If you don’t come, they will try to end the protest,” he said.

Calling for some moderation, Dipke said, “Our protest and march will be peaceful. I ask everyone to follow the rules and follow the guidelines.” He also alleged that Mr Wangchuk continued his indefinite hunger strike at Safdarjung Hospital despite being removed from the protest site by police early on Saturday.

Dipke Sayın said, “As you can see, they took Sonam Bey by force, but the hunger strike continues in the hospital.”

In a major announcement, Mr Wangchuk’s wife Ms Angmo, addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, said: “If the political leaders meet Sonam at the hospital and assure her that they will raise the issue of responsibility for education during the Parliament session, Ms Angmo will end her hunger strike tomorrow.”

He also conveyed Mr Wangchuk’s appeal to supporters ahead of the proposed march, urging them to maintain peace and discipline.

Earlier in the day, Mr Wangchuk, through Ms Angmo, released a message from Safdarjung Hospital describing Monday’s mobilization as “India’s second freedom movement” and calling for “liberation from injustice” over the alleged paper leaks and “freedom from fear” over what he called “illegal detention”.

He called on the public for the Parliament march to be successful. HSK also expressed its concern about possible police intervention before the march on Monday, July 20.

In its posts on

HSK called on the protesters not to react to any provocation and to ensure that the march remains peaceful. At the nearby AISA protest site, hunger strikers Neha, Manish and Aameen continued their indefinite fast.

Neha claimed that the police tried to move them away three to four times on Sunday, but the students and supporters formed a human chain to prevent this.

“Today is the 22nd day of our hunger strike. The police have come to take us 3-4 times since the morning. Students and young people in Jantar Mantar formed a human chain to protect us.” He called on more people to join the action.

After Mr. Wangchuk was removed from the protest site early on Saturday, Mr. Dipke began his own indefinite hunger strike.

The CJP founder, who entered his second day on Sunday, said he now understood the physical toll of the long fast and appealed to people to strengthen the movement by joining the Parliament march in large numbers on Monday.

CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET exam, reforms in the examination system and justice for the affected students.

The Union has called for a “Chalo Sansad” march to Parliament on Monday, July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

It was published – 20 July 2026 02:23 IST