'Everything Changed At Midnight': Inside Last Hours Of CJP Protests In Delhi
After 37 days of protests, the student-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) ended their agitation at Jantar Mantar following the Education Minister's resignation. However, the movement concluded with a forceful police clearance of the site at midnight, leading to confusion and clashes.
Why it matters
The transition from a successful protest movement to a forceful police dispersal underscores the volatile relationship between student activists and state security forces.
After 37 days of protests, slogans and student gatherings, the movement at Delhi's Jantar Mantar came to an end late Saturday night when police cleared the protest site around midnight.The protest was called off on July 25 after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. The student group Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) announced the withdrawal of the agitation after the government accepted their demands.However, many students stayed back at Jantar Mantar to celebrate the success of the movement. Until midnight, the protest site was filled with slogans, Tricolour flags, posters, music, and students singing and dancing around the stage.But at midnight, Delhi Police personnel arrived at the site with shields and batons and began removing students from different entry points.Many students and journalists present at the spot said they were unaware that the area would be cleared at midnight.
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