The Jantar Mantar protest led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has entered a fresh phase of confrontation, with demonstrators regrouping at the iconic protest site hours after Delhi Police cleared it following violent clashes during a march towards Parliament.
Protest Site Cleared After Clashes During Parliament March
The authorities dismantled the month-long protest site at Jantar Mantar on Monday evening, hours after clashes broke out during the CJP’s march towards Parliament, taking down the stage, removing tents and banners, and leaving behind a heavily guarded stretch that had served as the centre of the agitation. The stage from which activist Sonam Wangchuk had addressed supporters and observed his hunger strike was taken down, along with tarpaulins, mattresses, carpets and posters that had come to symbolise the demonstration. Police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed at the site as workers carried out the clearance operation. Despite the heavy security presence, police vehicles stationed nearly 200 metres away, more than 1,000 protesters continued to occupy the road near the site.
Protesters Reclaim Ground Near Jantar Mantar
Even after the site was cleared, the protest did not come to an end. Around 1,000 demonstrators gathered a short distance away on the road, converting a tempo fitted with loudspeakers into a makeshift stage. Protesters raised slogans and addressed the crowd, while CJP volunteers declared that the agitation would continue and that the stage would be rebuilt.
CJP volunteers reiterated that they intended to reconstruct the stage, even as police informed the protesters that, under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, demonstrations could not be held anywhere except at the designated Jantar Mantar site.
Allegations of Police Excesses Surface
SAMDISH SHOWS HOW POLICE BRUTALITY CRUSHED DISSENT 🚨
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) July 21, 2026
Students came to Jantar Mantar asking questions on education, paper leaks and accountability. What followed was pure police brutality.
A woman was beaten by male officers. Students were pushed, chased and hit. Samdish… pic.twitter.com/fttQ3f6THW
The CJP accused the Delhi Police of using excessive force against protesters during its “Sansad Chalo” march, alleging that several students were injured and that Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, was pushed around as the outfit continued its protest with a sit-in near Kerala House after police dismantled the Jantar Mantar stage. Police, however, denied the allegation that Angmo was assaulted, calling it “completely false and misleading” and maintaining that no individuals were subjected to targeted assault.
#WATCH | Delhi | On yesterday's protest march, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka says, "It was just the Police who used lathis. Our youths were beaten up, their heads cracked open, they were dragged on streets. Sonam sir's wife Gitanjali ma'am's… pic.twitter.com/8yg6sHQ3Bz
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2026
The Left-affiliated student group AISA alleged that male police officers had carried out a lathi-charge on women protesters, accusing the force of using excessive measures against demonstrators. The day’s developments left protesters divided in mood. Some expressed disappointment that the mobilisation had not resulted in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the central demand around which the agitation had been built. Others, nursing injuries from the police action, said the crackdown and the dismantling of the protest site had only hardened their resolve to continue. One protester, 25-year-old Anushka, who was seen with a bandaged arm, said the demand for Pradhan’s resignation had gone unmet even as many protesters were struck by police batons.
Sit-In Continues Near Kerala House
By evening, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Angmo continued their sit-in near Kerala House, insisting that the agitation would go on despite the crackdown. The developments came after police dispersed protesters attempting to march towards Parliament and subsequently cleared the original protest site.
CJP Vows Stir Will Continue Amid Heightened Police Alert
With the protest site dismantled but demonstrators refusing to disperse, Delhi Police have stepped up vigilance in and around the Jantar Mantar stretch, anticipating further mobilisation. The CJP’s insistence on rebuilding its stage — even as authorities cite legal restrictions on protest venues — signals that the standoff between the movement and law enforcement is far from over. With Sonam Wangchuk’s associates continuing their sit-in and volunteers vowing to return, the coming days are likely to see continued friction over where, and how, the agitation for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation can lawfully proceed.