During Monday's Sansad Chalo march by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a man dressed as Mahatma Gandhi stood at Jantar Mantar, holding the Tricolour in one hand and wearing a placard around his neck with its message urging protesters to remain peaceful. "Follow Gandhi," he asserted from the stage at Jantar Mantar, the month-long protest site of the CJP, which gained crucial momentum after Sonam Wangchuk extended his support.
Their demand has been the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As the first day of the Monsoon Session was to culminate in a demonstration outside the Parliament building, the government had made preparations to contain the protest. However, the drizzle post-afternoon subsequently dispersed the protesters.
From the morning, several Metro stations close to Parliament and Jantar Mantar were closed down by the authorities. Jammers restricted communication, while barricades stretched from Jantar Mantar to Mandi House Metro station. Yet youth and people who aligned with the primary pursuit of accountability came in droves to make the protest a successful story against the government.
Slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” loudly swaddled the protest in a patriotic tone. Songs like ‘Chakde India' and ‘Jai Ho’ were also in the air. The protest was aimed at the government, which they think have not been accountable for missteps. Many protesters had climbed trees and walls, while a few managed to secure space atop the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) water tanks bearing slogans such as “Sonam Matters” and “Ban NTA.”
Many of the protesters had already gathered in Jantar Mantar during the night. Several of them had come from West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and other states. Members of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students' Association (AISA) played drums and shouted slogans. “Jai Bhim” and “Long live Bhagat Singh” slogans reminded everyone of ethics, ideals, and dreams.
In a white t-shirt and black pants, actor Prakash Raj emerged on the stage, waving his hands at the protesters. Manish Sisodia, the former deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Yogendra Yadav and several other dignitaries had to cross the volunteers to get to the stage. At one end of the stage, Wangchuk's mattress and pillow was seen covered in white sheets with all his belongings, his sketch and framed pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar. The volunteers continuously distributed bottles of water for relief. Early in the morning, it was drizzling but the protesters refused to return. They stood there in the rain, amidst heat and congestion.
Micommunication causes chaos
It was upon Sonam Wangchuk's request at the presence of Rajesh Mal, father of Riya Kumari Thapa, a student who committed suicide while preparing for NEET-UG, Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of Cockroach Janta Party, broke his fast at around 11.15 am, drinking juice. “Move towards Sansad Marg” was then announced from the stage. But because Dipke left from behind the stage, several people followed him. Thus one group waited at the Sansad Marg and the other was behind the stage.
“Please sit down and protest, do not leave the premises,” announced the police. When protesters tried to break through the last barricades in the Sansad Marg, police opted for lathi charge. A few of them tried to escape through a gate of the LIC building, but failed. Irrespective of gender, police continued to use their sticks. But the demonstrators did not stoop down to violence. Most of the protesters held the ‘Constitution’, ‘An Autobiography of Gandhi’ or ‘The Annihilation of Caste’ in their hands.
Protesters struggled to reach the Parliament and escape from the clutches of the police but they managed to halt traffic in the heart of the city, Connaught Place. The traffic stretched till Barakhamba Metro Station and further. “Dharmendra Pradhan should resign” was the call that filled the air. But the protest came with confusion and chaos, as a wave of people flocking from far-flung regions of the country got divided into two groups because of miscommunication and mismanagement. Several of them were dissatisfied but they said, “it's not about that goal, this was needed”.
