New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Thursday gave a nationwide call for peaceful protests July 24 and urged people to hold demonstrations in every district as it rejected the government’s offer for talks, insisting any dialogue should be held only at a neutral venue.
It also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on action against paper leaks did not address the issue of accountability or its main demand of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over NEET paper leak.
The government made another appeal for talks with Union minister Jitendra Singh saying a meeting to resolve the issues can be held either at Union Health Minister JP Nadda’s official residence or at his office.
Nadda also invited the CJP for talks, but its leaders turned down the proposal, sticking to their demand that they would meet only at a neutral venue.
On Friday’s protest call, the CJP said gatherings would be held across the country under the slogan “Every district. One day. One demand”, where participants would read out the protesters’ demands and express solidarity with students, parents and others who were injured in the police action in Delhi July 20.
The nationwide call came as the protest at Jantar Mantar entered a fresh phase amid heightened security in the national capital, continued restrictions around the protest site and mounting political attacks over the July 20 police action.
The protest site continued to remain under heavy security, with large parts of central Delhi witnessing traffic disruptions for the second consecutive day. Seventeen Delhi Metro stations remained closed Thursday, affecting commuters and businesses while mobile internet services were also suspended in parts of central Delhi till midnight in the 1.5 km radius of Jantar Mantar.
Traffic restrictions and barricading led to congestion on several major roads around Connaught Place, ITO, Parliament Street and India Gate, with many commuters reporting long delays.
Despite the restrictions in place, crowds swelled at the protest site, with people raising slogans against the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The CJP also alleged that attempts were being made to disrupt its agitation. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed “outsiders” and “BJP goons” were being sent to the protest site to create disturbances and later blame the protesters, allegations rejected by the BJP.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das shared a video on social media purportedly showing plain-clothed youths carrying batons, threatening the protesters.
He alleged that one such person had attacked the father of a minor protester inside Jantar Mantar and demanded that Delhi Police invoke stricter penal provisions, including the SC/ST Act where applicable, and take the accused into preventive custody.
Police are also trying to determine whether “outsiders” and “habitual offenders” infiltrated the demonstrations and contributed to the violence.
Multiple teams have been formed to identify those involved in attacks on security personnel and damage to public property using the analysis, a source in Delhi Police said.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, said it was “deeply painful” to see students being portrayed negatively and questioned why it was “easier to question their intentions than to hear their concerns”.
In a post on X, she appealed against linking the ongoing student protest at Jantar Mantar to incidents of violence elsewhere in Delhi without evidence, saying the movement had remained peaceful.
In the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that the welfare of the country’s youths is the top priority of his government and asserted that anyone trying to harm their future will not be spared.
He said the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.
Opposition leaders and CJP functionaries were quick to respond, alleging that the prime minister’s remarks ignored the concerns raised by students protesting over alleged examination irregularities and the police action on demonstrators.
They said the focus should be on addressing the demands of students and ensuring accountability for the July 20 crackdown.
Delhi Police has maintained that force was used to enforce prohibitory orders and prevent protesters from marching towards Parliament, and has denied allegations of excessive use of force.
Police also denied having any plan of a crackdown on the protesters tonight at Jantar Mantar, dismissing claims made by former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal that security personnel could take such steps against them.
The New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), citing the prevailing situation in and around the area, advised all offices, shops and restaurants at Connaught Place to close their establishments by 6:30 pm Thursday.
In the evening, several leaders of the Congress and INDIA bloc parties paid homage to all those students who took their lives due to paper leaks.
The opposition leaders first assembled at the residence of Rahul Gandhi on 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, and reiterated their full support for the demands of the protesting students.
From there, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, led them to the Gandhi Smriti on a bus.
Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi also came out in support of the students. In a post on X, he said their “anxieties and concerns” regarding the examination system are “genuine”.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti addressed the protesters at the Jantar Mantar and praised the youths for enduring harsh weather conditions while demanding justice and transparency in the examination process.