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Delhi Police reported detaining 70 protesters and sustaining injuries to 118 of its personnel during Monday’s clashes while the Cockroach Janta Party claimed at least 60 demonstrators were wounded by baton charges and tear gas. Officers tore down the stage and tents at the month-long protest site at Jantar Mantar according to accounts from both the force and organisers. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted on X apologising to supporters especially young women beaten by male officers and stated one injured protester remained in critical condition in hospital.
The Cockroach Janta Party takes its name from remarks made by India’s chief justice earlier this year comparing certain unemployed graduates involved in activism to cockroaches a statement he later limited to those with fake degrees according to coverage by Indian news outlets. The group has occupied the 300-year-old Jantar Mantar observatory in central Delhi for more than a month pressing for education system reforms and accountability over repeated examination scandals. Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the sit-in on June 28 launching an indefinite hunger strike that drew wider attention before police removed him from the site on Saturday.
Nearly 2.3 million candidates sat for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test on May 3 according to National Testing Agency figures with the exam cancelled and rescheduled after a paper leak that prompted investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Families and state police reports have linked more than 20 student suicides to the scandal that has eroded confidence in competitive entrance examinations. The CJP has centred its campaign on the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan holding him responsible for the failure to secure the testing process.
Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda met CJP leaders on Monday describing the discussion in a government statement as taking place in a cordial atmosphere and requesting the group to end its sit-in to help restore normalcy. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the 10-minute meeting produced only a general promise to examine the issues without specific assurances. Another CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka called the four-hour wait ahead of the encounter a waste of time.
Opposition parties have condemned the police action with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stating the students’ demands were legitimate and describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the most anti-youth prime minister India has ever had. The protest has secured backing from farmer groups Bollywood figures and several opposition politicians broadening it into a significant display of dissent. Wangchuk continues his fast from a hospital bed according to associates who confirmed his condition.
Police issued a statement accusing the crowd of unruly aggressive and violent behaviour including throwing stones at officers attempting to breach barricades and damaging public and government vehicles. The CJP rejected that account insisting its members had remained peaceful and that security forces were the aggressors. Organisers posted on social media after internet services resumed declaring this peaceful protest is not ending and calling on supporters in Delhi to rejoin at Jantar Mantar with the message Dharmendra Pradhan must resign.
Parliamentary committees on education have repeatedly highlighted vulnerabilities in the examination system that have affected multiple national tests in recent years according to official records. The CJP has urged injured participants and those requiring legal aid to contact the group for assistance. Protesters indicated they would maintain their presence through the monsoon session of parliament to keep pressure on the government.
