CJP protesters stopped near Parliament as police deploy tear gas

Thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters gathered in central Delhi on Monday for a march towards Parliament as the Monsoon Session began, with police stopping protesters near Parliament Street amid heavy security.

According to India Today, protesters attempted to push through multiple barricades erected in the high-security zone at around 11.25 am, leading to a scuffle in which some protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries. Around 10 to 15 protesters were detained.

Television visuals and videos circulating on social media showed police using batons on some protesters after they allegedly tried to breach barricades. Later, videos shared online also appeared to show tear gas being used to disperse protesters near the Parliament complex.

POLICE IS USING TEAR GAS TO CRUSH PROTESTS

These visuals resemble an authoritarian regime – not a democracy.

Our democratic right to protest for our future, our education is being shelled with tear gas right now. pic.twitter.com/jHSvDXjF9H

— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 20, 2026

Social activist Yogendra Yadav shared a video on X alleging that tear gas had been used against protesters. In a post in Hindi, he wrote: “Stop using tear gas on the youth in front of the Parliament. The government should choose the path of dialogue, not suppression. Listen to the youth by removing your incompetent Education Minister.”

Security was further tightened around Parliament, with personnel deployed at the entrances and the gates of the Parliament complex closed. Large numbers of CJP supporters also gathered near Rail Bhawan, a short distance from Parliament, amid heavy police deployment.

Delhi Police, however, denied using force against protesters.

New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said not even a single Delhi Police personnel had used force on protesters.

In a statement posted on its official X handle, Delhi Police said: “Some segments from media have mentioned sporadic use of violence/detentions at Jantar Mantar by Delhi Police. It is informed that no such incident has taken place and protest is being handled professionally. All are requested not to fall pray to any rumour/ misgivings and to assist Delhi Police in maintaining peace and public order at and around the site.”

A heavy deployment of uniformed police personnel, along with officers in plain clothes, remained in place across the area to prevent protesters from moving towards Parliament.

Delhi Police also held discussions with CJP members before the planned march, but no agreement was reached, Sharma told Reuters.

“The protest site has already run out of space and this can lead to an untoward situation,” he said, adding that there were around 10,000 protesters on Monday morning.

Thousands of supporters had gathered overnight at Jantar Mantar after activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to hospital on Saturday while on an indefinite hunger strike.

Ahead of the march to Parliament, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke ended the hunger strike he had begun on Saturday, July 18, after Wangchuk was taken to Safdarjung Hospital by Delhi Police. Dipke broke his fast at Jantar Mantar before the march began.

Protesters marched peacefully through rain in central Delhi, raising slogans including “Quit, quit”, “Dharmendra Pradhan quit” and “Narendra Modi quit”.

“The administration is trying to open talks with the government… They have come very late, but we have opened our hearts and said that we are willing to talk to them,” CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das told ANI.

The CJP movement began after national medical school entrance test papers were leaked in May, affecting more than two million students and forcing them to take the examination a second time.

“All these leaders in power are illiterate and I am here to protest because we do not want question papers to leak,” said Adi Nathan, 21, a student from Meerut, about 100 km from Delhi. “This should come to an end.”

Mohammed Tabrez, 22, who travelled from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, said he joined the protest to demand an end to corruption in competitive examinations.

“We want this corruption to end,” he said. “We want all the frauds in paper leaks, in competitive examinations to end and this is the reason I have come here.”

The CJP initially gained support online, attracting 22 million followers on Instagram within days, before drawing backing from some opposition parties.

CJP founder Abhijit Dipke and supporters began a sit-in last month seeking the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and began an indefinite hunger strike.

In a handwritten note posted on his X account from hospital on Monday, Wangchuk said he would end his fast if the government accepted responsibility for recent failures in the education system and paper leaks, or if CJP protesters were allowed to reach Parliament and lawmakers assured them the issues would be taken up.

He said he would also end the hunger strike if lawmakers and leaders of various parties met him in hospital and gave him the same assurances, as his health no longer allowed him to march to Parliament.

The movement has expanded beyond examination paper leaks to reflect wider concerns among young Indians over youth unemployment and recruitment issues.

Government data shows unemployment in 2025 stood at 3.1 per cent among people aged 15 and above, while it was 9.9 per cent for those aged 15 to 29. The rate stood at 13.6 per cent in urban areas and 8.3 per cent in rural areas.